Casa Grande, AZ
What is happening:
The (City) of Casa Grande has published its General Land Use Plan to help guide the future of Casa Grande through 2030 and, for the first time, water resources is at the center. Local water utility provider, Arizona Water Company (AWC), has partnered with the City to build a comprehensive demand management program that helps to achieve General Land Use Plan goals. In addition to leveraging conservation efforts already employed by the City and AWC, the two entities have come together to create a few new elements of the conservation program in Casa Grande: SAVE IT, a digital marketing campaign and Water Wise Outside, a conservation measure focused on helping large landscape users reduce their water demand.
According to Mayor Craig McFarland, water is a precious desert resource. Future land use decisions will be closely tied to an analysis of available water resources and all planning and development decisions will be consistent with water management goals outlined in the Arizona Department of Water Resources Pinal Active Management Area Fourth Management Plan. Because of this connection between water resources and planning, the City and AWC partnership is integral to the success and future of sustainable water use in Casa Grande.
“Our joint effort with Arizona Water Company helps to ensure local businesses and families have access to water resources, today and well into the future,” said McFarland. “The City recognizes water as a central focus of the General Land Use Plan because it is a vital part of a healthy, growing community.”
The General Plan establishes specific goals related to water resource conservation:
- Implement water conservation measures to reduce the use of water outdoors.
- Reduce daily total and residential per capita water use by 15% of 2020 levels by 2030.
- Maximize the use of treated effluent in appropriate applications.
- Develop additional renewable water supplies to reduce dependency on groundwater.
The SAVE IT campaign is focused on providing residential and commercial users with the resources for water conservation actions they can adopt to help the City achieve its goal of reducing water usage by 15%. With a hub on the Casa Grande Chamber of Commerce website, SAVE IT is part of a larger branding initiative geared towards highlighting the community’s unique lifestyle and opportunities called LOVE IT.
Campaign followers on Facebook and Instagram have access to new conservation messages every month and relevant tips that cover topics such as irrigation maintenance for sprinklers and drip systems, tools for finding and fixing leaks, how to properly water landscape plants, best practices for winter or summer gardening and more.
AWC President Fred Schneider explained that the campaign is AWC’s way of providing residents and businesses with the resources necessary to implement their own water conservation action.
“While the folks of Casa Grande are already water-conscious, our goal is for people to teach each other all the easy ways to conserve water,” said Schneider. “Water conservation is most effective when everyone is actively doing what they can to SAVE IT.”
The Water Wise Outside program engages with large-scale water use customers to assess outdoor usage, determine areas for potential conservation and together, produce customized conservation recommendations to improve efficiency. The program helps users to determine and implement appropriate conservation measures to meet or exceed the General Land Use Plan’s water demand reduction goals while encouraging smart growth. Both initiatives highlight the City and AWC’s unique public-private partnership to integrate conservation efforts across all water user categories.
“We know these efforts will help our community feel empowered to save water by highlighting how people in the community are already conserving and suggesting additional actions people can take to save water,” said Raluca Mihalcescu, AWC Water Conservation Specialist.
When is it happening:
Call to Action:
Follow the SAVE IT CG page on Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date on the latest conservation tips and adoptable actions. These pages will also highlight special water conservation events and local neighborhood success stories.
For more Information, visit Arizona Water Company online at www.azwater.com or call (602) 240-6860.
