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Conservation Regulations
Within the Tucson AMA, each water use sector must meet mandatory conservation requirements. The general provisions are defined in Arizona statute,
while the specific program requirements are included in the 10-year management plans that are developed for each AMA as part of an extensive public process.
For the municipal sector, water companies must meet per capita use targets, or implement a series of stringent conservation practices.
There are also requirements to minimize system losses and incentives to use non-groundwater supplies.
The AMA's largest providers, by population, are Tucson Water, Metro Water, Oro Valley, Community Water of Green Valley, and Flowing Wells Irrigation District.
For the industrial sector, the conservation requirements are tailored to the particular use, and include both volume-based allotments as well as best management practices.
Regulated industrial facilities within the Tucson AMA include:
- 114 turf facilities, 42 of which are golf courses
- 2 large metal mines
- 15 large sand & gravel operations
Agricultural users must manage water use within an allotment based on historic cropping patterns, or comply with best management practices.
There is also a prohibition on irrigating new land within AMAs. There are more than 400 Irrigation Grandfathered rights in the Tucson AMA, covering 37,000 eligible acres, with 160,000 acre-feet of associated water allotments. More than half of all rights are less than 10 acres.
Assistance Program
The Tucson AMA supports non-regulatory conservation primarily through its Water Management Assistance Program. This program is funded through a portion of the
groundwater withdrawal fees paid annually by persons withdrawing groundwater from regulated wells in the AMA. This funding, (up to $0.50/acre-foot),
has been used to support a Conservation Specialist position within the AMA, as well as conservation project funding, planning assistance,
technical support, community outreach and education efforts.
Xeriscape Contest
ADWR and the Tucson Botanical Gardens have formed an exciting new partnership for 2008 to continue the Annual Xeriscape Contest. This important contest promotes the use of native plants, water use awareness and our commitment to the long-term resolution of water supply issues in the Tucson Basin. The intent of this contest is to increase awareness within our community of the aesthetic quality attainable by incorporating Xeriscape principles in public and private landscapes while reducing water use, costs and maintenance. And to recognize and honor people who have designed and implemented beautiful Xeriscape landscapes that are water efficient.
The contest is co-sponsored by
Tucson Botanical Gardens and the Tucson AMA.
The primary purpose for this contest is to increase awareness of exemplary landscapes
that are water efficient and to encourage others to utilize these innovative practices to
create beautiful landscapes and save water. The use of Xeriscaping and native
plants is an important aspect of desert-appropriate landscaping and promoting
water conservation in our community.
 2008 Contest Information & Entry Forms
Xeriscape contest video interview of the 2007 winner
- Awards, photos and articles from previous years:
- 2004: Awards & Photo Gallery
"Drop Your Water Use!"
is a program intended to educate retail nursery customers on how to plan and maintain a healthy and water efficient landscape.
The program is a voluntary collaboration between ADWR and local nurseries that uses a simple water drop system to identify plants with similar water requirements.
All of the labeled plants are Xeriscape plants currently on the Tucson Low Water Use/Drought Tolerant plant list.
Plants are labeled one through three, distinguished with corresponding water drops and numbers.
A "number one" indicates very low water use-mostly native plants, two is low water use and three is moderate water use.
By choosing plants with the same number, a gardener can more successfully group plants by water needs.
Although the plants are all low-water-using, the frequency that they need to be irrigated varies from approximately once a week to once a month after the plants are established.
ADWR encourages consumers to use separate valves on their irrigation system to water each zone, enabling them to manage their irrigation water use more efficiently.
Conservation Materials
Tucson AMA Navigation Links
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