Just like a carbon footprint, every person, every business, and every product has a water footprint. “The water footprint of an individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of freshwater used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business.” (Hoekstra, A.Y., Chapagain, A.K., Aldaya, M.M. and Mekonnen, M.M. …
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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 many people the birds attracted. Unprepared for birdwatchers, the town fenced the pond. The lesson wasn’t lost on Gilbert officials. If a place to watch …
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The Tres Rios Wetlands is a constructed wetland system located in southwest Phoenix that enhances the plant and wildlife that depend on the Salt and Gila Rivers. The water that supports the wetlands is reclaimed wastewater that has been treated to drinking water quality. The Wetlands consist of 480 acres located along a 7-mile-long section. Why have a wetland in …
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Here’s one of the easiest ways you can save money and water: learn how to manage your irrigation controller. AMWUA cities’ conservation professionals continue to report that many homeowners, businesses, and HOAs irrigate their landscapes throughout the winter as if it were still 110 degrees outside. It’s such a waste because most desert-adapted plants can make it through the winter …
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Want some objective, in-depth information about the water situation in Arizona and the Southwest? How about getting involved in raising awareness of what needs to be done to avert a water crisis? We have the water we need now, but what about the future? Beyond the Mirage is an award-winning multi-pronged project intended to help citizens join the important conversations taking …
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Video: Involving Young People in Colorado River Conservation This blog originally appeared on the Arizona Highways Web site on May 17, 2016. It is being reprinted with permission. An advocacy group hopes its new video, filmed on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, will help highlight the importance of getting young people involved in river ecology and conservation. What …
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This past Spring, the Water – Use It Wisely campaign had nearly 11,000 entries to its Drab 2 Fab Backyard Rehab promotion with ABC/15 TV. If you entered, THANK YOU! If you didn’t win, we invite you to live vicariously through our winners, Lisa and Alan Osborne of Avondale. Today launches a 10-part video series where you will meet the winners. See their drab backyard. …
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Lake Powell began filling in 1963 after the completion of Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River by the federal Bureau of Reclamation. The 710-foot-high hydroelectric dam creates the second-largest man-made lake, or reservoir, in the U.S. The lake stretches 186 miles along the Colorado River from Page, Arizona to Hite, Utah. Located within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, the …
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Tonto Creek flows along the northern edge of Tonto National Forest, just beneath the Mogollon Rim in central Arizona. It feeds Theodore Roosevelt Lake, and makes up one of many tributaries that flow into the Salt River. As the creek continues to flow south, forming narrow channels through rocky canyons, it meets the Hellsgate Wilderness. The foreboding wilderness name depicts …
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In 2015, Rio Verde – a private community located 40 miles northeast of Phoenix – earned the Green Community Award and was designated as the first Certified Sustainable Community in Arizona by Audubon International, a non-profit environmental education organization. Rio Verde was the first community in the Western United States and the second private community in the country to earn this award …
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The Black River is located within the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, which runs along the Mogollon Rim and the White Mountains in east-central Arizona. It flows southwest through the White Mountains and forms the border between the Fort Apache Indian Reservation to the north, and the San Carlos Indian Reservation to the south. Upper reaches of the river, closer to the …
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The Mogollon Rim (pronounced “muggy-own”) is an extensive rocky cliff that runs 200 miles diagonally across Arizona. The powerful forces of erosion and faulting over thousands of years shape and mold this sheer cliff that represents the Southern portion of the Colorado Plateau. The high elevation provides a fantastic opportunity for breath-taking views over hundreds of miles to the east, …
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