AMWUA Blog
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Arizona Needs a Strong, Well-Funded Water Department
"In the depths of the Great Recession, the hardest hit state agency was the Department of Water Resources. A wealth of institutional knowledge, vital to maintaining Arizona's relative position with other states in competition for precious water supplies, was lost. . . . Lawmakers need to take this critical agency more seriously. And that means with a wider-open pocketbook."...
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Jan 12 2015
Gilbert Transforms Wastewater Storage Into Wetlands Retreat
In 1986, the Town of Gilbert began storing treated wastewater in a pond at Cooper and Elliot roads. It did not surprise town officials that the pond attracted birds, but they were surprised by how many people the birds attracted. Unprepared for birdwatchers, the town fenced the pond....
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Jan 05 2015
Want To Reuse Laundry Water In Your Yard? Tempe Is Ready To Help
Each year an average family in the City of Tempe uses about 30,000 gallons of drinking water to wash clothes. Tempe is the first city in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area to help homeowners pay to reroute their laundry water and reuse it to irrigate trees, lawns, and plants....
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Dec 29 2014
2015: Cities Can Help You Keep Your Pledge To Save Water
A different sort of national environmental organization has set its sights on Arizona. Change the Course wants to help maintain enough water in Arizona rivers to keep plants, birds and fish healthy, but also keep farmers thriving and faucets flowing in homes and industries....
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Dec 22 2014
Let’s Face It, Most Of Us Are Not Frost Cloth People
When it comes to protecting plants from cold weather, there are two types of desert homeowners: conscientious and casual....
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Dec 15 2014
Quaggas Muscle Their Way Into Your City’s Water Delivery System
A mussel about the size of a dime is breeding by the millions in reservoirs fed by the Colorado River. These invasive creatures, which can grow a little larger than a quarter, threaten the delivery of water to the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan area. They also can cost you and your cities a lot more than small change....
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Dec 08 2014
First Water, Then Development
In 1978, swindler Ned Warren was convicted of 20 counts of fraud for selling land in Arizona without access to water. Two years later, the drafters of the 1980 Arizona Groundwater Management Act decided to put an end to that practice by requiring that an "assured water supply" must be demonstrated in advance of selling subdivision lots. Ironically, Ned Warren died in prison that same year....
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Dec 01 2014
Desalination: Is It A Practical Solution For Arizona’s Future Water
Engineers can take salt out of ocean water and create water for drinking and irrigating crops. Desalting water on an industrial level is a great technological achievement. The process, however, remains expensive and messy. The world, pushed by need, has moved ahead with desalination projects while researchers work to create more efficient and Earth-friendly technology....
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Nov 24 2014
The Phoenix Zoo Shows You How To Save Water And Money
In the last 22 months, the Phoenix Zoo reduced its water use by 20 percent. That saved the zoo $80,000 on its water bill over the past two years and conserved 19,500 million gallons of drinking water for all of us. The Phoenix Zoo saved the water and money the same way any business improves, by changing its culture....
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Nov 17 2014
Smartscape: You Could Have A Better Landscaper
You pay a landscaping company to save you the time and energy it takes to maintain a lovely green space. Twenty years ago, Arizona recognized that landscapers could do more. They could help their customers save money and help cities save water....