PHOENIX, AZ – Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and the City Council have unanimously approved a water conservation ordinance aimed at large water users, another important component of the “Desert Sustainable Development Policy” that has been in place since early 2022.
The new policies are the result of years of strategic planning to ensure that Phoenix manages its water resources responsibly. Last year, in his State of the City 2023 address, Gallego highlighted his efforts to create these new guidelines.
“The passage of the new large water user ordinance is another important milestone in our far-reaching commitment to a comprehensive approach to protecting our water resources,” Mayor Gallego said.
According to Gallego, the new policy will ensure a balance between economic development priorities and the critical need to secure water supplies for generations to come.
Other components of the Sustainable Desert Development guidelines approved last June come in the form of rezoning stipulations, which include non-functional turf regulations, a mandate to comply with WaterSense or similar EPA certification, native and drought-tolerant planting, outdoor irrigation standards, enhanced pool standards and more.
The new ordinance imposes additional requirements on new projects whose estimated consumption exceeds 250,000 gallons per day. Those new large water users must submit a water conservation plan approved by the Phoenix Water Utilities Department. Any new user expected to use more than 500 thousand gallons per day must submit a conservation plan, meet at least 30 percent of its consumptive water demand with recycled or conserved water, and conform to the city’s water resource portfolio.
The City Council’s vote builds on decades of water efficiency policies in Phoenix that benefit the region. The new policies go hand-in-hand with the City Council’s vote last year to leave up to 150,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Mead over the next three years, as well as Gallego 2023’s announcement to create an advanced water purification facility that will recycle nearly 60 million gallons of water per day.
