Water Conservation

Water Conservation: Our Mission

Arizona Water Company defines water conservation as the practice of using water efficiently to reduce unnecessary water usage. We believe all water should be used as efficiently as possible regardless of the source of supply or the type of use. In fact, Arizona Water Company’s water resource management strategy has two parts: (1) obtain and maintain a diverse water supply portfolio, and (2) promote the efficient use of those water supplies. Water conservation is a critical tool available to manage water supplies because promoting the efficient use of water helps stretch existing resources. Our mission is to educate our customers and increase the water conservation ethic within the company. By increasing conservation efforts, we can all become better stewards of water.

To be most effective, water conservation is a community effort – we all have to do our part, utility included. This is why Arizona Water Company’s water conservation programs are instead called Integrated Demand Management Programs. This naming emphasizes that utility and customers should both conserve water and work collaboratively to build the best conservation programs.

Work to Date

Water conservation started at Arizona Water Company in the 1980s when the Groundwater Management Act was put in place by the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR). Shortly after this act was instated, ADWR released the First Management Plan in 1984 which laid out specific Total Gallons per Capita Per Day or GPCD conservation requirements for water utilities like Arizona Water Company. In the early 1990s, as a result of concerns raised by Arizona Water Company and others about the fairness of the GPCD Program, ADWR established a new program called the Non-Per Capita Conservation Program (NPCCP). Today, most of Arizona Water Company’s water use is regulated under NPCCP. Arizona Water Company uses the NPCCP as a structure for all of its water systems even those not located inside Active Management Areas. For more information on ADWR’s conservation requirements please visit https://www.azwater.gov/ama. Also, please visit the General Tips and Online Resources page, under Arizona Department of Water Resources Information.

In 2008, Arizona Water Company decided to do more for conservation. The company applied to establish specific Best Management Practice (BMP) tariffs for conservation with the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC). In 2013, the tariffs were updated to appropriately fit the needs of the communities served by Arizona Water Company. For more information on current tariffs, please visit the General Tips and Online Resources page, under Conservation Related Tariffs.

Arizona Water Company has a history of providing water conservation resources to our customers. In late 2020, we decided to further expand our conservation efforts and collaborate with our communities to do so. This way we could build the most effective conservation programs to fit the needs of our communities. Since 2021, Arizona Water Company has launched nine Integrated Demand Management Programs in the following service areas: City of Casa Grande, City of Coolidge, Town of Superior, Community of Gold Canyon, City of Apache Junction, a regional program for the communities of Saddlebrooke Ranch, Oracle, and San Manuel, the City of Sedona and Village of Oak Creek, Rimrock, Munds Park, and most recently, a regional White Mountains program that includes the Town of Pinetop Lakeside, the City of Show Low, and the community of Heber/Overgaard. These ten programs provide water conservation information and resources above and beyond what we have already been doing, to over 84% of our customers. To get more information about the launched programs, check out the links below in the “Programs” section.