Scottsdale saved more than 38 million gallons of water in 2022

By Valerie Schneider | City of Scottsdale

In January 2022, Scottsdale set out to reduce water use by at least 5% and asked residents and businesses to do the same. The effort came as the city officially declared Stage One of its Drought Management Plan—an action directly aligned with the Tier One Colorado River shortage declared by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The city itself led the charge, reducing water use by 6% when compared to the average of the past five years. Different city departments achieved water savings through a series of infrastructure and operational improvements like more aggressively finding and fixing water leaks, installing more efficient equipment, and not planting winter grass in many parks.

While water use among residents and businesses did not appreciably change over previous averages, the city saw record numbers in its grass removal rebate and outdoor water efficiency check programs during the year. These numbers show that more people in the community are taking tangible steps to reduce their household water use, momentum the city hopes will build and result in more community water savings in the years ahead.

For more information on ways customers can contribute to water savings, go to ScottsdaleAZ.gov, search “water conservation.”

Highlights outlining specific water savings

Scottsdale efforts in 2022

Parks

Much of Parks’ water savings was accomplished by more aggressively finding and fixing leaks, implementing advanced drip irrigation systems, and reducing grass in areas of public parks that are not commonly used for recreation. This led to a total water savings of five-million gallons in 2022 versus 2021.

With nearly 62,000 square feet of grass removed at four parks in 2022, subsequent water savings will result in three-million gallons of water each year. Additional areas will be converted to xeriscape landscaping in 2023, including a project at Eldorado Park.

Overall, Scottsdale’s Parks and Recreation Department has stayed consistently ahead of the curve by keeping water savings below the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) allotment—in 2022, Scottsdale Parks used 25% less water than allotted by ADWR.

Facilities

Scottsdale Facilities completed a cooling tower water reduction project, installing new cooling tower controllers at seven different city facilities: Civic Center Library, Police Department and Fire Department Headquarters, Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, Police District 1, City Hall, and Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.

The new control systems save water: when compared with the same period in 2021, these systems used 19% less water than in 2022, totaling more than 894,000 gallons of water saved. With all seven controllers now installed, Facilities estimates the annual savings will increase to 1.3 million gallons of water for the 2023 calendar year.

Water Conservation

The Water Conservation team enhanced marketing communication with customers to establish a 300% increase in grass removal rebates. This totaled more than 219,000 square feet of grass removed. With an average of 50 gallons of water saved per square foot, this gives the city a water saving estimate of nearly 11-million gallons per year moving forward.

The Outdoor Water Efficiency Check program participation increased nearly 100% in 2022 from 2021, increasing water proficiency across more than 300 homes in the Scottsdale area.

By Peggy Prichard | Resident contributor

After ten months of house hunting, my husband and I purchased our dream “snowbird” home in DC Ranch in 2022. It was well worth the wait as we are thrilled to be a part of this wonderful community. We chose DC Ranch over many options for several reasons: great location, gorgeous neighborhood design and convenient amenities.

In addition to the very hospitable welcome committee, everyone we’ve met has been helpful and friendly. Being from Illinois, it feels a bit like landing in a community full of midwestern transplants. In reality, Arizona is a melting pot and I’ve enjoyed meeting folks from near and far.