Arizona Water Conservation Factsheet: Rural Industrial Water Conservation and Reuse

June 22, 2026
Arizona Water Conservation Factsheets
,
4 pp.
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Water Resources Research Center
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Tucson, AZ
Attachments
Rural Industrial Water Conservation and Reuse (pdf)
Arizona Water Conservation Factsheet: Rural Industrial Water Conservation and Reuse

Turf Facilities, Mining, Power Generation, Cattle Feedlots, Dairies, and Data Centers

This fact sheet is intended for existing and new industrial facilities throughout the state of Arizona, including turf facilities, mining, power generation, cattle feedlots, dairies, data centers, and other industrial facilities (such as factories). It also provides information useful to regional, county, and local entities, such as municipalities and utilities, for influencing industrial water use.

The Arizona commercial, industrial, and institutional (CII) sector brings in billions of dollars and employs tens of thousands of Arizonans around the state. Alongside the benefits that these industries bring, there are also resource demands.

The industrial sector, defined in this publication as turf facilities (parks, schools and golf courses), mining, power generation, cattle feedlots, dairy operations, and data centers, account for approximately 11% of the state’s water demand (Figure 1). Mining and power generation are the largest industrial water users, each accounting for 37% of industrial water use.

Within Active Management Areas (AMAs)*, the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) has set industrial conservation requirements to reduce groundwater withdrawals. Outside of AMAs, water conservation remains voluntary and typically follows best management practices. Large industrial water users can play a leading role in water conservation and efficiency by employing water saving strategies and building partnerships with municipalities and other industrial users to reclaim and reuse water. Continue reading.

Resources

Active Management Area (AMA) – Areas in which ADWR regulates groundwater use.

Blowdown – The recirculating water from a cooling system that is discharged to remove the buildup of unwanted materials.

Cycles of Concentration – a measure of how many times cooling water is recycled, before disposing of blowdown)

Dewatering – The process of removing water from a mine to lower the local groundwater and prevent flooding.

Dry Cooling – A method that uses air flow past finned coils to condense steam that has passed through a generator, without evaporation, before it gets repressurized.

Tailings – The waste material from ore processing that is typically stored in impoundments. Tailings are composed of both waste rock and water. 

Thermoelectricity – The conversion of temperature differences into electric energy, such as in coal, oil, and nuclear power plants. 

Steam Turbine Cooling – A method that uses cool water, which evaporates in the process, to condense steam that has passed through a generator before it gets repressurized.

BOR WaterSMART and Energy Efficiency GrantsCost sharing program (50% federal funds / 50% non-federal funds) for entities with water or power delivery authority
ADWR Rural Partnership Program 

Fosters collaborative working relationships and provides a Stakeholder Funding Newsletter which announces state and federal funding opportunities to improve water infrastructure and conservation efforts in rural communities. 

 

Alliance for Water Efficiency 

Conservation tracking tool, technical assistance, financing sustainable water guides, and more

 

American Water Works Assistance 

Technical assistance, water efficiency guides for numerous industrial sectors, free water audit software

 

WIFA Water Supply Development 

Up to $3 million in the form of low-interest loans and technical assistance for water providers and political subdivisions

 

595 program from the US Army Corp of Engineers 

Cost sharing program (75% federal funds / 25% non-federal funds) that can provide design and/or construction assistance for projects related to wastewater treatment, water supply, and related facilities

 

Data Center Energy and Water Information Simulator and Evaluator (DC E-WISE)

Helps compare cooling options and identify opportunities to reduce demand in support of planning for data centers

 

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  2. OpenStreetMap. (2025). OpenStreetMap—Arizona Golf Courses [Map]. https://www.openstreetmap.org/about                  
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  13. Industrial Program | Arizona Department of Water Resources. https://www.azwater.gov/ama/industrial-program.
  14. Accelerating  Industrial Reuse. https://watereuse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Accelerating-Industrial-Reuse-White-Paper-2025.pdf (2025).
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  16. Water Stewardship – Resolution Copper. https://resolutioncopper.com/water-stewardship/.
  17. HOW ARIZONA MUNICIPAL WATER PROVIDERS ARE REGULATING LARGE-VOLUME WATER USERS. https://morrisoninstitute.asu.edu/sites/g/files/litvpz841/files/2025-09/Large-Volume%20Water%20User%20Ordinances%20090525_revised2.pdf (2025).
  18. Data Center Impacts in the West: WRA’s Policy Solutions. Western Resource Advocates https://westernresourceadvocates.org/publications/data-center-impacts-in-the-west-policy-solutions-for-water-and-energy-use/.