Officials: Tempe water conservation plan on track to meeting goals

PHOENIX — A year ago, the city of Tempe announced it was setting conservation goals to slash city water use by 600 million gallons a year by 2020.

Statistics from the 2013-2014 fiscal year show the city is off to a good start for reaching that goal.

Tempe spokeswoman Melissa Quillard said total water use in the city has decreased by nearly 10 percent.

“For total water use, which includes residential, commercial, industrial, and landscape, we say a 10 percent decrease in water use between fiscal year 2013 to 2014, and about a 1 and a half billion gallon decrease in water use,” she said.

In order to encourage water conservation, the city is offering incentives for people who take action in order to use less water, Quillard said.

“For residents who retrofit their landscaping and put in a zero scape or desert landscaping, they can get a rebate of up to 20 cents per square foot for that conversion,” she said.

For residents who use a gray water system, a system that uses leftover water from the washing machine to irrigate a yard, Quillard said they can earn an even greater incentive.

“For a gray water retrofit, residents can receive up to 50 percent reimbursement for up to $200 for installing that gray water system in your home,” she said.

Quillard said that last year’s higher than normal rainfall helped lower the demand for water.

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