Water-friendly ones, of course!  Here are some great Mother’s Day ideas that are bound to please your Mom and Mother Earth as well.

Thinking of ways to “shower” Mom with love this Mother’s day?  Showerheads and faucet fixtures are the “jewels” of the plumbing world and make a great gift that any practical Mom will appreciate.  On top of that, certain models are specifically designed to help with water conservation efforts.

A great showerhead can truly make a difference between a relaxing, spa-like experience and just an average shower. Technology and innovation in design in shower fixtures has come a long way.  Leading brands now offer a way to maximize the water pressure while conserving water and energy all at the same time.

Shower and faucet fixtures that focus on water conservation now feature slick new designs making them both stylish and eco-friendly.  When you swap out your Mom’s old showerhead with a WaterSense labeled one, you will be helping to save water.

There are many innovative designs to pick from.  For example, Kohler just rolled out a new moxie showerhead with a blue tooth speaker in!  Definitely a way to impress Mom!

If a new faucet fixture for Mom’s kitchen is the better way to go, you can explore the innovative touchless technology by leading brands.  Always ask the sales person or your local plumbing company representative to make recommendations on fixtures that not only look great, but save water too.

Choose products that meet the EPA’s WaterSense criteria, or even the ones that promise to exceed it.  Remember that water conservation is closely related to plumbing. Professional installation of the all facet fixtures can also ensure maximum protection against water loss.

From time to time, Water – Use It Wisely features guest bloggers who write about topics related to water and water conservation. Linda Stanfield is the owner of Benjamin Franklin, The Punctual Plumber — the fastest growing franchise plumbing company in the nation. She has been offering plumbing services across the Valley for 28 years. The Better Business Bureau awarded Stanfield’s Benjamin Franklin Plumbing office with its Ethics Award twice — the first plumber in the state to win this prestigious award more than once.  The company is also among the 2013 finalists.  Linda and her family reside in Gilbert, Ariz. Stanfield is married and has two adult children.

For more information about Benjamin Franklin, The Punctual Plumber please visit: www.benfranklinplumbingaz.com or call 480-812-1855.

If you want to create a healthy, attractive landscape and one that saves water to boot, then you can’t go wrong with Xeriscape. This concept of landscape design follows seven horticultural principles, including good planning, low water use plants, appropriate turf areas, efficient irrigation, soil improvements, use of mulches and lastly, proper maintenance.

The way you maintain your landscape can have a tremendous impact on your landscape water use. The good news is that most of the recommendations below actually represent a lot less work for you!

Check Irrigation Systems – Periodically inspect for clogged drip emitters and leaks. For sprinklers, check to make sure your mower hasn’t damaged spray heads and that they are directed properly. Check that spray heads aren’t blocked by grass or encroaching shrubs. If you decide it’s time to replace sprinkler heads, consider using ‘rotating stream sprinkler heads’ which apply water much more efficiently and are particularly good for slopes to reduce runoff. Learn more about this new technology on one of our past Water Use It Wisely articles.

Adjust Watering Schedules – Adjust your watering to the season to reduce your water use by up to 50%! Plants use less than half of the amount of water in winter than needed during our hot summers. Water – Use It Wisely offers the best watering guide you can find for the Arizona Desert. Also, did you know that when plants are given too much water that they grow lots of weak growth and will usually require more pruning.

Remove Weeds – Weeds are thieves! They steal nutrients and water from your landscape plants.  Remove the weeds by hand (with or without tools) or check with your local nursery for safe weed sprays. Start when weeds are young and they’ll be easier to control and won’t go to seed (producing more thieves).

Fertilize Sparingly – Fertilizing encourages plant growth and that requires more water. Follow product label recommendations to fertilize fruit trees, other food plants or established tropical or non-native plants. Native plants usually do not require fertilizers and generally grow better without them.

Sheared shrubs might be more whimsical, but they use more water!

Properly Prune Plants – Prune plants only when necessary. Improper pruning removes the branches and leaves that provide cooling shade for the trunk and roots. Pruning also causes a flush of new growth that requires a lot of water to emerge. Open wounds allow for greater water loss from the plant to evaporation. Find pruning tips in the online Xeriscape: Landscaping with Style in the Arizona Desert.

Mulch Plant Roots – Replenish organic mulches (bark or compost) around your plants each year to improve soil, reduce moisture loss and to keep roots cool during the summer months. Organic mulches will hold in 15% more moisture than inorganic or granite mulches. Keep mulch away from the plants trunk or main stem and cover with granite if you prefer. Oh, and don’t forget that the best mulch is the litter from the plant itself. By keeping stems and branches close to the ground you’ll be shading the roots and be less tempted to rake up the beneficial plant litter! Your landscape isn’t your kitchen floor! Learn more.

If you’re just not the do-it-yourself type, I’ve got one more EASY tip!

Hire a SMARTSCAPE Certified landscaper. SMARTSCAPE is a training program for landscape professionals taught by the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension and sponsored by Valley city water conservation programs including many of the Water – Use It Wisely partners. These certified landscapers have the skills for planning, planting, and caring for low-water-use landscapes in the Sonoran Desert.

First grade students, friends, family and the City of Mesa celebrated Arbor Day today at Candlelight Park by rolling up their sleeves and getting dirty!

Today is Arbor Day, a special day set aside to encourage the planting and proper care of trees. And Water – Use It Wisely is celebrating, because trees can help save water.

How you ask?

A tree can not only add some visual interest to your landscape, but when placed strategically in your yard, its shade can reduce energy use in your home by up to 40%. And saving energy can save water, as the electrical power industry is one of the biggest consumers of water for cooling and other processes.

Up for a tree-planting project this weekend in celebration of Arbor Day? Click here for some fun design and tree placement tips. Find another great resource for actual planting tips for your new tree, here.

Here is some more Arbor Day inspiration from the Arizona Nursery Association. Happy Planting!

Most people take plumbing for granted, that is until a plumbing disaster strikes their house and the chaos of blocked drains or clogged pipes ensues.  But a local company, Benjamin Franklin, The Punctual Plumber is reminding the public to take a moment to appreciate and salute America’s Plumbers on April 25^th – National Plumber’s Day.

It is no surprise that water conservation is closely related to plumbing.  In fact, millions of gallons of water are lost each day due to improperly installed fixtures, drips and leaks in pipes.

Consider that if a drip from your faucet fills an eight ounce glass in 15 minutes, it will waste 180 gallons per month and 2,160 gallons per year!  And in a typical home, more than 9,000 gallons of water are wasted while running the faucet waiting for hot water.

It is important to know your options and to pick fixtures that are designed to save water.  For example, simply adding an aerator to your faucet can make the water use a lot more efficient.  A low flush toilet can save you up to 18,000 gallons of water per year, and specially designed shower heads maximize the water pressure while minimizing water waste.

So talk to your plumbers about what fixtures can make your home more water efficient, and remember that proper installation is key.   Without professionally guaranteed install, even the best intentions can result in additional water waste.  Be sure to fix even the smallest drips quickly to prevent water loss and further damage.

And on National Plumber’s Day, thank a plumber!  Without them, our world would look a lot different.

For a fun trivia item, can you think of who are the most famous plumbers ever? Mario and Luigi of course! They have been in over 200 games since Mario Brothers was created in 1985.

From time to time, Water – Use It Wisely features guest bloggers who write about topics related to water and water conservation. Linda Stanfield is the owner of Benjamin Franklin, The Punctual Plumber — the fastest growing franchise plumbing company in the nation. She has been offering plumbing services across the Valley for 28 years. The Better Business Bureau awarded Stanfield’s Benjamin Franklin Plumbing office with its Ethics Award twice — the first plumber in the state to win this prestigious award more than once.  The company is also among the 2013 finalists.  Linda and her family reside in Gilbert, Ariz. Stanfield is married and has two adult children.

For more information about Benjamin Franklin, The Punctual Plumber please visit: www.benfranklinplumbingaz.com or call 480-812-1855.

On Saturday, April 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. celebrate Earth Day, conservation and nature at the special Earth Day at the Phoenix Zoo event.

Water – Use It Wisely will be joining in on the fun once again with our tropical duck float trivia contest. Children young and old can test their water know-how, then take home one of our “oh-so-cute” ducks to float in the pool or bathtub to help remind them to use water wisely every day of the year – not just on Earth Day.

Visit us at the Harmony Farm section of the Zoo. Don’t worry; we have a lot of cool stuff for the “big” kids, too. See you there!

Yes, it really is worth harvesting rainwater in the desert… really!

Have you ever noticed how plants appear greener and brighter after a good rain? It’s not just because the dust and dirt get washed off. Rainwater is a clean, salt-free source of water that contains many beneficial ingredients for plants. Rain can contain sulfur, potash, several other minerals and even microorganisms, all of which provide a boost to plant growth. During summer thundershowers there can even be an added bonus when lightening converts atmospheric nitrogen into a nitrogen solution for plants.

Because rainfall is so beneficial, as well as a precious resource, property owners should capture as much rainwater as possible before it runs off into the street. Historically, Native Americans and early settlers relied on harvested rainwater for drinking, landscape watering and agricultural uses. Today, even with a small property, rooftops and driveways make prime catchment areas. The rooftop of a 1500 square-foot home can collect almost 500 gallons from ½-inch of rain, making water harvesting well worth the effort.

Yikes! It’s not just about free water!

But water harvesting has another surprising benefit. Storm drains in our urban neighborhoods can collect all kinds of pollutants during a storm event. Microscopic particles of heavy metals like zinc and copper are commonly found. There’s also oil and petroleum-based hydrocarbons, fertilizers and pesticides that wash off lawns and landscapes, and even pet excrement contributes a significant amount of bacteria to urban streams and rivers. The more water we can collect onsite to be filtered by soil and plant roots, the better.

Cities are also realizing the great benefits of water harvesting for streets and roads and are looking more into collecting rain into right-of-way landscapes. Not only does it reduce the amount of water needed for the landscape, but it really has a positive impact on filtering stormwater before it reaches retention basins and parks where children and pets play or before the stormwater gets transported to environmentally sensitive waterways. If you want to see an impactful video on the topic, check out “How We Got Into Such a Mess With Stormwater.”

Tempe Workshop on Rainwater Harvesting sponsored by Water – Use It Wisely

While the low deserts of Arizona are currently approaching our dryer weather period (from mid-April through May), it won’t be long before summer monsoons have arrived. That’s why Water – Use It Wisely is sponsoring Ryan Wood from Watershed Management Group to speak on the subject! Here are the details:

Earth Care Conference: Going Native: Savoring the Southwest

April 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Community Christian Church, 1701 S. College Ave.

There are many programs taking place, including a keynote presentation by author Gay Paul Nabhan.  Here’s a synopsis of Ryan’s program. We hope you can attend!

Where does our water come from and what can you do to keep it flowing?
Join Ryan Wood as he explores our water resources and how you can keep the water flowing by implementing simple water harvesting strategies at your home. You will learn the basics of water harvesting, the different strategies for creating an integrated water harvesting system, and what you will need to know to install, use and maintain a residential water harvesting system.
Fifteen cities and water providers make up the Water – Use It Wisely regional partnership, many of whom offer water-wise workshops. Find this and many other partner programs at the Water – Use It Wisely calendar on our home page.

Friday, April 12^th at 6 p.m.

Phoenix City Hall

Assembly Rooms A, B, C

Free to the Public

Free Parking in 305 Garage

Before 6 p.m.

Brad Lancaster, a dynamic teacher, consultant and designer of regenerative systems, will give a talk on general water-harvesting with the added focus of integrated design on April 12^th at Phoenix City Hall.  The presentation is a peek at an all-day workshop Brad will be giving as part of the Valley Permaculture Alliance Design Course: Drylands.  It will provide an overview of generative, degenerative and regenerative investments, how to use the One-Page Place Assessment as a site assessment tool, solar-design, wind–harvesting and how these can be tied into water.

Brad’s award-winning book Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond Vol. 1, Second Printing is soon to be released.  A book signing, or pre-orders, maybe available at the presentation.

Space is limited.  Please make a reservation at mary.lu.nunley@phoenix.gov.  If you have questions, please call (602) 534-3950

This 4-mile event was created to raise awareness for fixing leaks and encouraging water efficiency in our homes, landscapes and businesses. Leaky “Loo” McFlapper, the event’s life-sized running toilet mascot, is a 6′ tall reminder that running toilets are only funny when they are mascots.

Leaky “Loo” McFlapper lines up at the starting line for the race.

Joining “Loo” this year was Flapper Flushless, the super plumbing duck from R2K Plumbing, Rowdy Rotor (a leaky, misfit irrigation sprinkler head) from Ewing Irrigation and Misty the water drop from Peoria Water Conservation.

Misty the water drop from Peoria was batting her Katy Perry eyes at everyone.

Rowdy the Rotor from Ewing Irrigation, was showing off his leaky ways.

Casandra Pritchett visits the Water – Use It Wisely booth at the March 9th Fix a Week Leak “One for Water 4-Miler"

Following the race and awards ceremony, a Family Fun Festival with food, kid’s activities, leak-fixing demos, music, and more topped off a memorable race day. Water – Use It Wisely was there to ask trivia questions and to hand out water-saving information to all participants. You can tell Casandra Pritchett enjoyed the event by the cool Water – Use It Wisely ‘temporary’ tattoo she was showing off that day.

Flapper Flushless, the super plumber duck and mascot from R2K Plumbing just loved the Water –Use It Wisely message. What duck wouldn’t?

If you missed the race, there’s still plenty of time to celebrate Fix a Leak Week which officially runs from March 18 – 22. Be sure to visit the site for how-to-videos and other easy steps for leak repair. This special week challenges homeowners and businesses to take steps to identify and repair leaks that waste water and money.

Then again, who needs a special week? It’s important to fix leaks anytime you discover one… which reminds me of Water Saving Device #89, YOUR EARS! Listen for dripping faucets and running toilets. Fixing a leak can save 300 gallons a month or more.

Be sure to learn about our other 100+ ways to conserve water.

Inspect those sprinklers to check for pooling or leaks

The City of Surprise, as a member of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense program, reminds residents that spring is the perfect time to check their irrigation system, inspecting for leaks and setting the proper watering schedule for current weather conditions.

According to WaterSense, a broken or missing sprinkler head wastes as much as 25,000 gallons of water and more than $90 over a six-month irrigation season.  And an improperly programmed automatic irrigation system can waste as much as 30,000 gallons of water annually.

The EPA offers the following steps for sprucing up your sprinkler: Inspect, Connect, Direct, and Select.

• Inspect. Check your system for clogged, broken or missing sprinkler heads. If you’re not the do-it-yourself type, go with a pro—look for an irrigation professional certified through a WaterSense labeled program.
• Connect. Examine points where the sprinkler heads connect to pipes/hoses. If water pools in your landscape or you have large wet areas, you could have a leak in your system. A leak about as small as the tip of a ballpoint pen (or 1/32^nd of an inch) can waste about 6,300 gallons of water per month.
• Direct. Are you watering the driveway, house, or sidewalk instead of your yard? Redirect sprinklers to apply water only to the landscape.
• Select. An improperly scheduled irrigation controller can waste a lot of water and money. Update your system’s schedule with the seasons, or select a WaterSense labeled controller to take the guesswork out of scheduling.

For more tips, visit the WaterSense website.

Information for Surprise homeowners and residents can be found here:

Water Conservation/Irrigation videos

Water Conservation in Surprise

City of Surprise is one of fifteen Water – Use It Wisely regional partners who offer conservation assistance to water customers. Contact your local water conservation office.

Chasing leaks is hard work, fixing them is a walk in the park

Leaks can be more than annoying. For every drip that keeps you awake at night, there is an associated expense for wasted water. The good news is that common leaks found in the home are easy to fix – they include worn toilet flappers, dripping faucets, and leaking showerheads – and can save about 10% on your water bill.

When is having a drippy faucet a good thing? How about during Fix a Leak Week March 18 – 24th? Sponsored by EPA’s WaterSense^® program, Fix a Leak Week reminds us of the easy steps we can take to help save water in our community.  With tips and video instructions on how to fix those drippy faucets, leaky irrigation systems and running toilets Fix a Leak Week promises to be just what the plumber ordered.

Did we mention running toilets? Join us to kick off Fix a Leak Week with the One for Water 4-Miler. Held on Saturday, March 9^th at Rio Vista Community Park in Peoria this unique, professionally timed race features Leaky ‘Loo’ McFlapper, a charmingly inefficient, life-sized running toilet. Beat Loo to the finish line for prizes, fitness and fun. The One for Water 4-Miler welcomes adults running with kids or dogs on this wide, paved route through a beautiful desert setting.

After the race, run, walk or crawl to the Family Fun Festival, held adjacent to the race and featuring food, music, activities for the kids (including a giant bouncy house) and leak-fixing demonstrations.

The “One for Water” 4-Miler takes off at the City of Peoria’s Rio Vista Community Park on March 9^th at 8 a.m. Registration opens at 7 a.m. The park is located at 8866 West Thunderbird Road, Peoria, AZ. We will have great prizes for the race medalists in a variety of categories thanks to our generous sponsors. Also available are prize drawings for people who pledge to find and fix leaks, so you don’t even have to be a runner to have the chance to win.