Documents - Conservation

The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) and many other organizations have created various publications that are useful in promoting water efficiency. Please use the information provided here to support water conservation efforts statewide and learn more about protecting one of our most precious natural resources - water.

• Developing Ordinances to Prohibit Fugitive Water from Irrigated Landscapes (686 KB); Word Document (3 MB), ADWR, 2008
• Developing Conservation-based Water Rate Structures for Communities (66 KB), ADWR, 2008
• Metering Water (106 KB), ADWR, 2008
• Summary of Municipal Conservation Programs in Arizona: Introduction (105 KB); Summary (309 KB), ADWR, 2010
• A Summary of Conservation Programs in Active Management Areas (3 MB), ADWR, 2007

• Xeriscape: Landscaping with Style in the Sonoran Desert, ADWR, 2000
  • Xeriscape Principles (2 MB)
  • Eight Steps to Planning and Designing a Great Yard (11 MB)
  • Your Installation Checklist (4 MB)
  • Xeriscape Maintenance: Healthy Landscapes for Lasting Beauty (3 MB)

• Water Wise Landscape Design in 5 Easy Steps (7 MB), University of Arizona Cochise County Cooperative Extension, 2009
  

• Harvesting Rainwater for Landscape Use (5 MB)
  University of Arizona Pima County Cooperative Extension and ADWR Tucson AMA, 2004, 2006
• City of Tucson Water Harvesting Guidance Manual (2 MB), Edited, illustrated by Ann Audrey Phillips, October 2005
• City of Tucson Street Landscape Maintenance Manual (5 MB), First Edition, December 2008
• Using Gray Water at Home (2 MB,) Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
• Good Reasons to Take Out Your Grass (3 MB), Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA)
• Desert Lawn Care Guide (2 MB), Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA)
• Landscape Watering by the Numbers
  Cities of Mesa and Scottsdale for the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA), 2003
• Landscape Watering Guidelines for Pima, Santa Cruz and Cochise Counties (157 KB), ADWR, 2010
• Water-Wise Landscaping for Southern Arizona CD- contains information on over 700 low water use plants suitable for Southern Arizona; photos of outstanding gardens and photo galleries with inspiring design ideas.
• Guidelines for Landscape Drip Irrigation Systems (2 MB)
  Arizona Landscape Irrigation Guidelines Committee with funding from ADWR, 1999
  Reprinted by Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA), 2001
• Pruning Shrubs in the Low and Mid-Elevation Deserts in Arizona (15 MB), Ursula K. Schuch, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, October 2009
  

Prescott AMA

• Low Water Use Drought Tolerant Plant List (258 KB), ADWR
• Modification Form - to request an edit or update to the current list (39KB)

Phoenix AMA

• Low Water Use Drought Tolerant Plant List (129 KB), sorted by botanical name, ADWR
• Low Water Use Drought Tolerant Plant List (155KB) sorted by category, ADWR
• Bibliography (65KB)
• Supplemental Plant List (204KB)
• Modification Form - to request an edit or update to the current list (38 KB)

Pinal AMA

• Low Water Use Drought Tolerant Plant List (228 KB), sorted by category, ADWR
• Low Water Use Drought Tolerant Plant List (142KB), sorted by botanical name, ADWR

Santa Cruz AMA

• Low Water Use Drought Tolerant Plant List (674 KB), ADWR
• Modification Form - to request an edit or update to the current list (37KB)

Tucson AMA

• Low Water Use Drought Tolerant Plant List (465 KB), sorted alphabetically by botanical name, ADWR
• Drop Your Water Use Plant list (787 KB), sorted alphabetically by water use, ADWR
• Supplemental Plant list (209 KB), approved varieties and cultivars, ADWR
• Modification Form - to request an edit or update to the current list (71KB)

Other Plant Lists:

• Verde Valley Low Water Use Drought Tolerant Plant List (122 KB), University of Arizona Cooperative Extension - Yavapai County and ADWR

• Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert Booklet and Online, Searchable Database
  Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA)

Fact Sheets

• Patch the Pipe - Leak Detection Program (147 KB), ADWR, 2008
• Conservation and Drought Planning - How do they work together? (393 KB), ADWR, 2007
• How Often and How Long to Water—Determining a Plant’s Water Needs (157 KB), ADWR

• Using Water Efficiently: Ideas for Communities (2 MB), U.S. EPA, 2000

Presentations

• Importance of Water Measurement and Quantification: Metering (1 MB), Lee Ester, Salt River Project
• Water Meters are your Cash Registers (2 MB), Dan Yeo, Arizona Water Company

Why you need a Meter Maintenance and Change Out Program (39 KB)

Set it and Forget it (38 KB)

• Automated Meter Reading (3 MB), Jason Bethke, Global Water
• Water System Audits (622 KB), Andy Terry, City of Phoenix
• Arizona Water Company's Leak Detection Program (4 MB), Tom Harrell, Arizona Water Company
• Identifying Lost and Unaccounted for Water: Apache Junction Case Study (659 KB), Frank Blanco, Apache Junction Water Utilities Communities Facilities District
• Public Education Program – Communication (7 MB), Donna DiFrancesco, City of Mesa
• Public Education Program – Written Materials (5 MB), Carol Ward-Morris, AMWUA
• Suggestions for Matching Service Area Characteristics with BMP's (63 KB)

Program Implementation

• Xeriscape Contest Program Description and Implementation (44 KB), ADWR
• Drop Your Water Use Program Description and Implementation for a plant tagging program (43 KB), ADWR

Fact Sheets

• Water Conservation Tips for Arizona Residents (72 KB), ADWR, 2008

• Clothes Washers: Water & Energy-saving Tips and Technologies (73 KB), ADWR, 2008

• Pools and Spas: Water Saving Tips and Technologies (187 KB), ADWR, 2008

• Tips for Washing Your Vehicles (555 KB), ADWR, 2008

• How Often and How Long to Water—Determining a Plant’s Water Needs, (157 KB), ADWR
• Using Water Efficiently: Ideas for Residents (972 KB), U.S. EPA, 2000
• Saving Water Saves Energy: Make the Drops-to-Watts Connection (905 KB), U.S. EPA, 2008
• Fine Tune Your Irrigation System to Save Water and Money (274 KB), U.S. EPA, 2008
• Your Grass Can Be Greener – Water Efficient Landscapes Start with Certified Irrigation Professionals, (639 KB), U.S. EPA, 2008
  
• Residential - Annual Water Use Worksheet (18 KB); Word Document (42 KB), calculating gallons per capita per day (gpcd) for a household, Tucson Water
• How to Read your Water Meter (33 KB), Tucson Water

Fact Sheets

• Water Saving Ideas for Businesses (130 KB), ADWR 2010
• Arizona RinseSmart Pre-rinse Spray Valves  (269 KB), ADWR, 2008
• Commercial Laundry: Tips and Technologies to Conserve Water and Energy (83 KB), ADWR, 2008
• Water Saving Technologies for Commercial Car Washes (100 KB), ADWR, 2008
• Water Saving Technologies for Commercial Kitchens (122 KB), ADWR, 2008
• Water Saving Technologies for Medical Facilities (166 KB), ADWR, 2008
• Saving Water Saves Energy: Make the Drops-to-Watts Connection (905 KB), U.S. EPA, 2008

Facility Water Management

Facility Managers:

• Developing a Water Management Program: 6 Steps for Facility Managers (60 KB);Word Document (106 KB), ADWR, 2010
• Checklist: Developing a Water Management Plan (22 KB); Word Document (41 KB), ADWR, 2010
• Checklist: Implementing a Water Management Plan, for Managers (104 KB); Word Document (53 KB), ADWR, 2010

Facility Maintenance Staff:

• Checklist: Inventory of Facility Water Use (30 KB); Word Document (25 KB), ADWR, 2010
• Worksheet: Inventory of Facility Water Use (8 KB); Word Document (39 KB), ADWR, 2010
• Worksheet: Recommendations for Water Efficiency Improvements (9 KB); Word Document (39 KB), ADWR, 2010

Cooling Tower Operators:

• Cooling Tower Consumption Log Sheet A (9 KB); Word Document (36 KB) For metered make up and bleed off water, ADWR, Tucson Water, Pima Community College, 1997
• Cooling Tower Consumption Log Sheet B (9 KB); Word Document (42 KB) When the system uses another means of measuring dissolved solids, ADWR, Tucson Water, Pima Community College, 1997

Landscape Maintenance Staff:

• Landscape Water Use: Checklist for Landscape Staff (30 KB); Word Document (69 KB), ADWR, 2010
• Worksheet: Recommendations for Water Efficiency Improvements (9 KB); Word Document (39 KB), ADWR, 2010

Irrigation Systems:

• Irrigation System Inspection Form and Sprinkler Irrigation Equipment Performance Checklist (23 KB); Word Document (94 KB), University of Arizona, Cooperative Extension, 1995
• Volume Based Irrigation System Audit Worksheet (14 KB); Word Document (47 KB), Tucson Water, 2000
• Volume Based Water Audit Instructions (4 KB), Tucson Water, 2000

Fact Sheets

• Arizona Project WET— Workshops, Curriculum Guides, Water Festivals and More (123 KB), ADWR, 2008
• Arizona Conserve Water Educators’ Guide: Water Sources, Management and Conservation for grades K—12 (366 KB), ADWR, 2008

ADWR Kids' Posters

Arizona

• We Live in a Desert, Conserve Water (282 KB)
• Conserving Water Today for Arizona's Tomorrow (282 KB)

Phoenix AMA

• We Live in a Desert, Conserve Water (284 KB)
• Conserving Water Today for Arizona's Tomorrow (282 KB)

Prescott AMA

• Conserving Water Today for Arizona's Tomorrow (105 KB)

Tucson AMA

• We Live in a Desert, Conserve Water (285 KB)

Studies and Research

• Evaporative Cooler water use in Phoenix, Martin M. Karpiscak, ADWR Phoenix AMA study, Published in: Journal AWWA, Vol. 90, Issue 4, April 1998
• Evaluation and Cost Benefit Analysis of Municipal Water Conservation Programs (ECoBA) (3 MB) and Summary , Water Conservation Alliance of Southern Arizona (Water CASA), 2006
• The Water-Energy Nexus, Southwest Hydrology Vol. 6, No. 5 September/October 2007
• The Costs of Electricity in Arizona (654 KB), Martin J. Pasqualetti, Ph.D., and Scott Kelley, M.A., School of Geographical Sciences, ASU. 2008.