AMWUA Blog
Arizona Pilot Project Could Help Find More “Lost” Water
The number of gallons of drinking water a utility produces each month is not the same number of gallons paid for by its customers. Each month, a certain percentage of drinking water produced by a utility disappears for a variety of reasons. In Arizona this is called “lost and unaccounted for water” and the state has long had tough regulations in place to minimize lost water in large utilities. Now...
Oct 09 2017
On The Job: Organizer Keeps Wastewater Treatment ReliableAmy Baker is an organizer. This self-described beer snob can regularly organize a dozen or two friends for a bicycle tour of her favorite craft breweries. Amy just finished organizing her fourth AZ Water Association fundraiser for Water for People, which improves water infrastructure in nine countries. City of Peoria residents have benefited from her organizational skills for more than a decade. T...
Oct 02 2017
Colorado River Shortage: Where We Are Right NowIt is crucial for Arizona to avoid a shortage declaration of Colorado River water by the federal government because our state would take the first cut. Cities would still receive the same amount of water in an initial or tier-one shortage declaration, but any shortage declaration is bad for business because it negatively impacts public perception of our state. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has gathered ...
Sep 25 2017
Diving In: Underwater Work Saves Cities Money & WaterIt seems unlikely that divers would be in demand in the middle of the Sonoran Desert, but cities call on them regularly to help keep their water treatment plants operating reliably and efficiently. Don’t picture these professional divers in goggles with air tanks on their backs swimming among fish. These contractors operate more like construction crews who happen to work underwater. ...
Sep 18 2017
AMWUA.org: Bigger, Brighter, Bolder And A Little SmarterOur first overhaul of AMWUA.org in a decade is big, bright and bold. It’s not all flash and dazzle, although that’s what makes it more fun—and far easier—to explore. Going deep into the new AMWUA website is effortless and well worth your time. The ...
Sep 11 2017
AZ To Permit Purified Wastewater As Drinking Water SourceMore than 550 water professionals and researchers from across the country and the world are in the City of Phoenix this week to talk about one subject: reusing wastewater. Recycling highly treated wastewater into a drinking water source is one of the biggest topics at the ...
Sep 04 2017
For A Better Looking Summer Lawn, Plant Winter Grass CorrectlyPreparing to overseed your summer bermudagrass for a winter lawn? You’re way too early. That’s just one of the warnings offered by turfgrass researchers at the University of Arizona’s Maricopa County Cooperative Extension program. Overseeding now could leave large bare patches in your bermuda lawn next summer. Avoid these three common mistakes for a prettier, even lawn all year that requires less ...
Aug 28 2017
Drab to Fab: Watch And Learn From This Backyard MakeoverLisa Osborne and her husband bought their City of Avondale home in 2008. They planted two citrus trees in the backyard that sat in a field of gravel for years and proceeded to turn brown. Until last November, the backyard had not changed. The economic downturn and family responsibilities left the yard to become what Lisa called the dog's den, since their dog Abby was the only family member who fou...
Aug 21 2017
Want A Lovelier Landscape? Master Your IrrigationMore than half the drinking water used in the Phoenix Metro area is used outdoors, mostly to irrigate landscapes. Desert dwellers irrigate a variety of plants, trees and grass all year long as the weather swings from extremely hot to freezing. Establishing a lovely landscape can mean a steep and expensive learning curve. It doesn’t have to. There are two important and easy lessons to maintaining a...
Aug 14 2017
Why Are We Still Using Flood Irrigation In The Desert?Flood irrigation can be a surprising sight in a desert Valley. Water comes pouring out of ditches, covering large parks, ball fields or yards in what looks like deep storm runoff. While the rest of us are using drip lines and sprinklers, this sort of watering is difficult to understand. Here are the facts about flood irrigation in the Valley....