City Asks Scottsdale To Conserve Water For Drought Management

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — With Arizona now officially in the first tier of a Colorado River supply shortage, Scottsdale is asking locals to constrict their water usage by 5 percent.

The shortage means that the water supplied to the Central Arizona Project will be reduced by 30 percent this year, with most of the cuts coming from agricultural use, according to a news release from the city.

Around 70 percent of residential water in Scottsdale is used outside, so the city has some recommendations on how to cut down:

• Adjust irrigation timers. Sign up for a monthly adjustment reminder by texting WHENTOWATER to 33222.
• Sign up for WaterSmart, a new portal that allows users to manage their water use and set up notifications.
• Get rid of your turf grass. Desert-friendly landscaping needs less than half the water that grass uses. Residents could qualify to receive a rebate for converting from grass to something more sustainable.
• Create a water budget by using water calculators to determine how much you use and if your water usage is normal for your house and family size.
• Request a free outdoor water efficiency check from an irrigation specialist. On average, Scottsdale Water experts can save a customer 4,000 gallons of water per month, according to the city.

“Water conservation programs have been in place in Scottsdale for decades and many Scottsdale residents and business know their value,” said Scottsdale Water Executive Director Brian Biesemeyer in the news release. “Now we need to step up our game and take water conservation to the next level. With less water coming to us from the Colorado River in 2022, we need to learn to live with less and that starts every time we turn on the tap, flush the toilet or start our irrigation systems.”

Scottsdale was the first city in Arizona to begin stage one of its Drought Management Plan, according to the city. It's expected to be a multi-year plan since city water supplies are forecast to remain the same or decrease going forward.

If the city implements stage two of its plan, it could impose a water shortage surcharge on customers as well as mandatory water-use restrictions.

The city is also working to reduce its own water consumption, like it has already done in years past, and has pledged to cut back by 5 percent itself this year.