Local municipal water providers are always looking for innovative ways to bolster and stretch their water supplies, especially here in the desert. A viable option for water managers is maximizing...
We can live in the middle of the desert because we continually plan and invest to ensure safe, reliable, and sustainable water supplies for today and the future. By investing in and protecting...
Flushing the wrong items down the toilet can be costly in many ways. They damage wastewater treatment equipment and cause sewage overflows through manholes and on streets, all of which is an...
When it comes to water, recycling is part of the natural water process known as the hydrologic cycle. Human-generated water recycling, also known as water reclamation or potable reuse, is an...
Yes, we are heading into a Tier 1 Colorado River shortage in 2022. Still, it’s important to remember that the AMWUA cities utilize more than Colorado River water, which represents only a...
The first notable winter storms brought much-needed moisture across the State, providing a short-term boost to our vegetation and adding some water to local reservoirs. While precipitation in our...
We all understand the importance of recycling and the vital role it plays in protecting our environment. In Arizona, recycling water plays a critical role in our lives by providing us with an...
Many things must be considered when it comes to long-term planning for water supplies in the desert. One critical component is storing water underground, which is a valuable investment in a...
Wetlands are areas of land where water covers the soil. They are natural or manmade. The water may be static or flowing. And the water can be any type - salt, fresh, reclaimed, or even a...
With people taking extra precautions and proactively washing their hands more, some may wonder what impact it is having on our water and wastewater. That question does not have a simple answer...
As we all spend more time at home, our residential sewer systems are seeing more action than usual. More traffic in sewer pipes can mean traffic jams and back-ups. That's why...
We use water every single day, and that is why it’s important to realize that those daily choices affect our future. With the arrival of April, we celebrate Water Awareness Month, which is...
Arizona water professionals are always looking for the next big bucket of water for residents and businesses. However, a new study shows that instead we may need to pursue smaller buckets and...
How can so many people live in the middle of the desert? Well it’s because we are acutely aware that we must continually plan and invest to ensure safe, reliable, and sustainable water...
Flushing the wrong items down the toilet can be costly. Such items can damage wastewater treatment equipment and cause a sewage overflow through manholes and on streets, all of which is an...
On January 31, 2019 Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed Senate Bill 1227, a broad package of water legislation that paved the way for implementation of the Drought Contingency Plan (DCP). The bill...
Innovation in wastewater treatment is right under our nose. Converting waste to energy took a leap into reality last week in Phoenix as Ameresco officially cut the ribbon and unveiled their 91st...
The terms drought and shortage are commonplace in conversations across the arid State of Arizona and although they are used together regularly, they are uniquely distinct. Drought is a prolonged...
There was that morning when Joe Carbajal found himself cornered in a backyard facing down two pit bulls – one of which had his wrist in her teeth. The dog broke the skin but caused no...
Technology is now available to transform wastewater into a purified drinking water source. This advanced water recycling could provide millions of gallons of drinking water a day for urban centers...
Amy 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...
More 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...
A couple dozen Arizona craft breweries will bring their beers to Phoenix in September to vie for a professional judge’s choice award and a people's choice award. Here's why this...
It is not easy for cities to build, staff and operate water and wastewater treatment plants and still maintain water and wastewater rates all residents can afford. That’s why Central Arizona...
Since 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...
Arizona's largest wastewater treatment plant already cleans and re-uses nearly all of the waste it receives from 2.5 million people in five AMWUA cities. Now, the cities that own the treatment...
Many people are wondering what this rainy, snowy winter means for Arizona after more than two decades of drought. Here are five things we know right now. 1. It's raining and snowing in the...
Grease sent down drains in restaurant kitchens has plagued city sewer systems since they were built. The Tempe Grease Cooperative takes an artful step toward better controlling the ugly problem....
In the last two years, the Town of Gilbert has more than doubled the number of Homeowners Associations enrolled in a free program that takes the guesswork out of landscape irrigation. The program...
Pima County's Southwest Water Campus is the winner of the New Arizona Prize: Water Innovation Challenge and it has a big job ahead of it. These creative water professionals intend to increase...
Here's a dare: Spend a day without water. The truth is you can't. Even if you are willing to give up showering, brushing, flushing, washing your hands, doing laundry, using your dishwasher,...
Jim Lane's resume is packed with past and present memberships on important governing boards, such as the League of Arizona Cities and Towns and Maricopa Association of Governments. After...
The goal of safe-yield has motivated Arizona's cities to maximize their use of renewable water supplies - such as river water or recycled wastewater - and to minimize pumping groundwater....
Lake Mead has dropped to a historic low with a Colorado River shortage declaration looming as soon as the next couple of years. Arizona's water managers have planned and prepared for a Colorado...
People like the idea of reusing laundry water to irrigate their yards. It's called a laundry-to-landscape graywater system. Installing a graywater system is part of a growing movement of...
Baseball players and fans want to see spring training fields covered in bright green grass ready to play ball. That means a host city must dedicate water to keep the grass green and irrigate the...
When you pay your water bill, a big part of the charges is something called a sewer fee. If you live in an AMWUA member city, it's the responsibility of your city's water department to...
Arizona has a reputation for crazy ideas. Sometimes those crazy ideas are just crazy and sometimes they turn into marvels. Take, for example, this crazy idea from 1969: Arizona knew a population...
The City of Goodyear has a 500,000 gallons-per-day brine problem. That problem will only grow as the quiet little West Valley city along the Estrella Mountains expands. Goodyear is working on an...
Along with thirty conservation leaders and experts in the southwest, I've been wrestling with a project since 2013. It's part of the Moving Forward effort initiated by the Bureau of...
The cities of Mesa and Chandler provide the Gila River Indian Community with reclaimed water to irrigate its growing farm industry. In exchange, the Gila River community gives Mesa and Chandler...
AMWUA member cities are focused on keeping water flowing in and out of your homes and businesses day in and day out. At AMWUA, we're all about solutions. Always have been. It's our job....
The desert is not a place where water is taken for granted. In desert cities, water must be managed. Each of the AMWUA member cities has a water management plan and part of that plan is storing...
A phrase "toilet to tap" has appeared in a recent spate of stories about cleaning and recycling wastewater. While the catchy phrase is irresistible to headline writers, it is not popular...
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...
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...
The Town of Gilbert helps homeowners associations take the guesswork out of irrigation costs. The town's voluntary program keeps landscapes looking lovely, saves money and water, and maintains...
Baby and facial wipes are one of the new problems for cities' wastewater systems. Just because a product is labeled flushable or disposable doesn't make it immediately biodegradable....
Valley cities can treat wastewater to such a quality that it can be used to fill small fishing lakes in parks, to irrigate landscaping, and to be stored for later use in underground aquifers. This...
As if you needed a good reason to pick up after your dog, here is yet one more: storm drains. Phoenix, a city of blue skies and sunshine, maintains an 895-mile storm drain system. Desert storms are...
A 6-acre lake in the middle of Peoria's Pioneer Park opened to fishing in September. It will draw an estimated 3,000 anglers a year. These urban anglers will catch and keep about 80 percent of...