AMWUA Blog
City Water Departments Answer Five Common Questions
Your city's water department does a great job using science and engineering, muscle and skill to get drinking water into your home 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The water professionals at your city can answer your questions about water quality testing, water rates and billing, the efficient use of water, free water conservation classes, water conservation rebates, and water leaks in the stree...
Apr 17 2017
On The Job: Skill, Hard Work Ensures Water Gets To Your HomeWhen someone asks Sal Correa what he does for a living, he answers this way: “You know the water you drink? I make sure it gets to your house.” That’s a pretty good description. Sal co-leads a 7-member City of Chandler team that replaces aging water distribution pipes, repairs breaks, and installs fire hydrants and new water meters. Sometimes his crew lays water lines to new subdivisions....
Apr 10 2017
Water Advocacy: It’s Easier Than You ThinkIs this your year to become a water advocate? Yes, I know, we're all pressed for time, but water advocacy doesn't have to take much time. What it takes is a question or a suggestion to the right person at the right time. Sometimes that moment arrives on an elevator with your building's facilities manager, on a golf course with an HOA board member, or in an email to your legislator. Here are a few ...
Apr 03 2017
Groundcover: Green Makes A Better Carpet Than GravelSome professional landscapers suggest homeowners design sections of their landscape as they would design each room in their home. This image helps homeowners give their yards dimension with layers of color and texture. Imagine vines as window coverings, group trees and shrubs as if they were furniture, and use groundcover plants as carpeting -a far better carpet than just having gravel. Groundcove...
Mar 27 2017
Partnership Makes Desert Golf Courses SustainableSince 1998, the City of Scottsdale has been treating about half of its wastewater to near drinking water standards. It's an expensive process that uses reverse osmosis technology, but the city isn't paying for all of it. The cost to build and operate the plant is shared between Scottsdale and 23 private north Scottsdale golf courses that use the water to keep their greens pristine....
Mar 20 2017
Fix A Leak Week: Time To Hunt Down Leaks That Are Draining Your BudgetWater leaks inside and outside the average American home waste up to 10,000 gallons of water a year. This drain on the country's drinking water supply is so critical that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ...
Mar 13 2017
Good Connection: Goodyear Brings Its Water HomeThe City of Goodyear is a 189-square-mile West Valley community with 78,190 residents. Goodyear expects its population to grow significantly. These big city dreams and big city plans present both opportunities and challenges. One challenge relates to water: Goodyear never had direct access to its renewable supply of Colorado River water - until now....
Mar 06 2017
On The Job: Water Treatment Supervisor Uses Brains, Heart And A Little MuscleLuiza Yordanova appreciates the Valley's winter weather as much as we all do but winter makes her job as supervisor of a City of Tempe drinking water treatment plant a bit more complicated. She sat down on a beautiful day earlier this winter to explain why....
Feb 27 2017
Sen. John Kyl: Compromise Is Key To Water LeadershipThis month, former Senator Jon Kyl told a gathering of elected officials and water professionals that Arizona's past water successes had one thing in common: the willingness of competing forces to compromise for the good of the state. Now, Senator Kyl said, it is time we do it again....
Feb 20 2017
Power Switch: Economics Driving New Energy for Moving WaterIn 2009, I was a new member of the Board overseeing the Central Arizona Project (CAP) and energy, not water, was the primary focus. I was surprised with my sudden immersion into the ins and outs of energy. Yet, there was a good reason for concentrating on energy....