NE Valley Times

The city of Scottsdale successfully reduced its municipal water usage by 38 million gallons in 2022, fulfilling a commitment made at the beginning of the year to address worsening drought conditions in the Colorado River basin. This initiative was part of Scottsdale's declaration of Stage One of its Drought Management Plan, aligning with the Tier One Colorado River shortage declared by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

Scottsdale aimed for a minimum 5% reduction in water use and encouraged residents and businesses to follow suit. The city achieved a 6% reduction compared to the average over the past five years through various infrastructure and operational improvements. These included promptly addressing water leaks, installing efficient equipment, and reducing winter grass planting in many parks.

While residential and business water use remained consistent with previous averages, participation in programs like grass removal rebates and outdoor water efficiency checks reached record levels. This indicates an increasing community effort towards reducing household water consumption, which Scottsdale hopes will lead to greater savings in future years.

Key efforts contributing to these savings include:

- **Parks**: Implementing advanced drip irrigation systems and reducing grass areas led to a total saving of five million gallons compared to 2021, translating into a departmental saving of 5.8% against the five-year average.

- **Facilities**: A cooling tower project at seven city facilities resulted in using 19% less water than during the same period in 2021, saving over 894,000 gallons.

- **Water Services**: Partnering with No-DES for pipe cleaning saved nearly five million gallons through innovative recycling methods.

- **Water Conservation**: Enhanced marketing increased grass removal rebates by 300%, removing over 219,000 square feet of grass and potentially saving nearly eleven million gallons annually.

Efforts also extended to public outreach on drought awareness across multiple platforms as part of implementing the city's drought management plan. Economic Development contributed by raising awareness within the business community through newsletters reaching over 11,000 recipients.

The city's ongoing focus includes further internal process evaluations aiming for another 5% reduction target in 2023 while engaging more residents and businesses in conservation efforts.

For more information on how customers can help save water, visit ScottsdaleAZ.gov and search "water conservation."