Arizona's rivers, lakes, and groundwater sources provide water for a variety of uses including industry, agriculture, homes, and recreation as well as supporting a diversity of ecosystems. Increased demands from an expanding population, industrial growth, increases in agricultural production, and ecosystem management have resulted in localized, temporal shortages of available water.
Passive water harvesting is the practice of slowing water down and encouraging it to soak into the ground. With simple land contouring (often called “earthworks”) that catch and direct stormwater runoff, stormwater can be used beneficially, encouraging plant growth in landscapes and natural areas, healing erosion cuts, and can even replace the need to irrigate with tap water.