Riparian areas and wetlands are the links between land and water. They are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on earth and are thought of as "ribbons of life," networking across various landscapes and biotic communities.
Within Arizona, local communities are finding ways to protect these diverse environments not only through sustainable management, but by offering educational opportunities that reminding us why respecting nature is key.
Office buildings, schools, hotels, hospitals, restaurants, and other commercial and institutional facilities can use a significant amount of water and energy in their daily operations. In most cases, electricity or gas is used to purify and pump water to a facility, in addition to heating water. So, the less hot water you use, the less energy needed which means a reduction to your water and energy bill.
Ever wonder how your water use adds up? Use the new Gilbert water calculator to see how much water your household needs. Compare the calculator’s results with your actual use to see if you have room for savings.
Water efficiency is becoming increasingly important to community water systems within Arizona from a resource management and economic perspective. Not only do these water systems serve residents year-around providing water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning but they also serve various businesses and other water users within its boundaries.
By proclamation of the Governor in 2008, it is Water Awareness Month in Arizona.
So, what do you suppose that means?
On a personal level, being “water aware” almost universally means learning to conserve water. It is a precious and scarce resource, after all. As citizens of an arid Western state who are approaching our 17th consecutive year of drought, water conservation is an imperative.
Irrigated agriculture in Arizona is a $17 billion-per-year industry in transition, according to speakers at a widely acclaimed conference on issues facing Arizona ag earlier this week at the University of Arizona.
It is an industry consumed with the most effective and efficient uses of water, its prime ingredient after tillable soil.
To the “end user” – the Tempe or Tucson homeowner turning on the tap to fill a kettle for a cup of tea – it is all just water. In composition, color and consistency, it is no different from the liquid pouring forth from taps anywhere else in the U.S.
It is clear, clean and plentiful water. A basic building block of an American community.
So, what’s so complicated about that?
Like most communities across Arizona, the Cities of Mesa and Glendale historically considered stormwater to be a nuisance that needed to be quickly eliminated through an expensive pipe and channel system. Today is different. Mesa and Glendale are shifting the stormwater paradigm and recognizing stormwater as a resource that can be used to promote healthy urban communities.
The City of Phoenix began municipal water utility operations in 1907.
