PHOENIX – City officials in Phoenix want residents to know that a significant portion of excess water use happens in their yards.

The average Phoenix resident used 100-155 gallons of water per person each day in 2024, and most of that usage was outdoors.

“If we look at all the water demand across the entire city of Phoenix, about 51% of the water demand that we see is actually just at single-family homes, and the majority of that is outside,” said Max Wilson, the city’s water resource management advisor.

Homes don’t come with an instruction manual, leaving residents on their own to figure out how to best manage their water use.

“You move in on day one (and) you’ve got a bunch of toilets, you’ve got a bunch of faucets, you’ve got a bunch of outdoor landscaping maybe,” Wilson said. “And nobody tells you anything about how to actually operate that stuff and make sure you’re only using as much water as you need.”

How can Phoenix residents easily reduce water use?

The biggest mistake residents make is overwatering desert landscape.

Wilson said most people think their plants need a little bit of water every day, but they really just need a good soaking every once and a while. In fact, he said plants can go weeks without watering after a good monsoon storm.

If you’ve noticed your water bill is high and believe you might have a leak, the city can send someone out to conduct an efficiency consultation.

The technician will even evaluate fixtures and appliances to see if they qualify for one of the city’s financial incentives.

“If you’ve got a showerhead in your house that you haven’t changed out in 10 or 15 years, chances are there’s one that will do just as good of a job on the market today for not very much money. And that can help you save a whole lot of water,” Wilson said.

City offers incentives to reduce water use

Phoenix also has a rebate for newer toilets where you can get back about half the cost. He said he just swapped out the toilets in his house from 1.6 gallons per flush to less than one gallon per flush, which is about a 50% water savings.

Most people are surprised that running a dishwasher uses less water than doing the dishes by hand. Wilson said you can also skip the prerinse before you load the dishwasher because you’re essentially washing your dishes twice.

There are also rebates for reducing outdoor water use. The city will pay you $2 per square foot to remove living grass and replace it with desert landscaping.

There is also a smart irrigation incentive. It’s a sprinkler controller that connects to the internet to make sure you’re only watering as much as you need.

“It’s one of the easiest things you can do to reduce your outdoor water use,” Wilson said.

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