BEHIND THE
METER
O R O VA L L E Y W AT E R U T I L I TY N E W S L E T T E R
SPRING 2022
A MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR Having a safe and reliable water supply is an integral part of our community. It contributes to our public health, economic vitality, and quality of life. Conserving our water supply helps to ensure this resource is available for future generations. Many people agree that conserving water reflects a modern sensibility that can be linked to recycling and environmental preservation. While this is fundamentally true, modern day conservation efforts also include enforcement of local water use codes and policies, compliance with statewide regulatory requirements as well as public outreach and education. Peter Abraham, P.E. Water Utility Director
While the Utility applies a multi-layered approach to water conservation, our customers play a vital role in the conservation picture. Through the use of technology, education and public outreach your water utility staff works to provide new and better ways to serve customers and address conservation and high water use concerns.
The Utility has transitioned from offering in-office educational materials to more comprehensive free of charge services such as on-site/home water audits and the distribution of toilet leak test strips, aerator retrofits/shower heads, and other conservation devices. Additionally, the Utility is one of the few water service providers in Arizona that has moved away from manual meter reading to automated meter reading through the implementation of an Advanced Metering Infrastructure. This technology allows our customers to manage and monitor their water use online using the WaterSmart Customer Portal. Of our 21,000 water service connections, over 6,000 customers utilize this free water monitoring service with over 8,000 automated high water use and leak alerts sent in the past year. Together the AMI system and the WaterSmart service assist customers to save water and identify leaks faster than ever before. Additionally, the Utility invests in long-term conservation benefits with our expanded Youth Education Program that serves schools within Oro Valley and the Oro Valley service areas. In the Fall of 2021, over 650 students participated in the Utility’s Conservation Kids (grades 1-3) and Discover Our Water (grades 4-5) programs. Our community’s commitment to water conservation is evident. Residential & commercial water consumption are at historical lows. In fact, 55-78% of our residential customers fall within our lowest level of consumption. With the community’s strong conservation ethic, your water utility is better positioned today than it was 26 years ago to provide continued successful water service to you.
Looking forward,
Youth Education Program Source: Environmental Education Exchange
Peter Abraham Peter A Abraham, P.E. Water Utility Director
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