To Water or Not?
Will the winter storms received over the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023 have an impact on Arizona’s drought?
According to University of Arizona climatologist Mike Crimmins, there is slight improvement in the short term, but long-term drought is still an issue. Arizona has been experiencing drought for decades. The most intense period of drought occurred the week of December 1, 2020, when 76.81% of Arizona land was affected. www.drought.gov
The Arizona Drought Monitoring Technical Committee confers weekly to advise the U.S. Drought Monitor authors on the current drought conditions in Arizona, and makes recommendations about the position of the drought boundaries for Arizona. The U.S. Drought Monitor is the official record of drought for Federal drought relief claims. Every Thursday, the Drought Status web page automatically updates with the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map of Arizona (Drought Status | Arizona Department of Water Resources (azwater.gov).
Arizona’s Water Saving Culture
The Arizona Department of Water Resources estimates that on average, each Arizona resident uses about 146 gallons per day. About 20 percent of the State's water supply is for municipal use, and most of this is residential. Up to 70 percent of that water is used outdoors (watering plants, swimming pools, washing cars, etc.) especially during the summer months, with the remaining used indoors (bathing, cooking, cleaning, etc.). Residents that incorporate water efficiency into everyday life help to preserve water for future generations. Learn about Water Conservation Tips for Arizona Residents and discover ways to contribute to Arizona's water-saving culture.
How is Water Management related to IPM?
Pests are living entities and water is critical to their survival. Pests will exploit any source of water such as leaky faucets, condensate from air-conditioning, broken irrigation lines, pet bowls and bird baths, and many other sources.
IPM, or integrated pest management emphasizes exclusion of pests by not providing water and food sources to pests. Thus, water management is closely related to IPM. In gardens and landscapes, adequate and timely irrigation is critical to overall plant health, because improper irrigation makes plants stressed and vulnerable to pest attack.
Landscape Watering Conservation Awareness
(Compiled by Donna Lorch, Master Gardener, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension).
50% to 70% of water use is outdoors. Because we live in a desert, we have a tendency to over water our landscape. Watering efficiently is one of the best and easiest ways to save thousands of gallons of water. Proper watering will also keep your landscape plants healthy and beautiful throughout the year. Compiled here are resources providing insight into what to plant, when to water, how often to water and how much to water.
- Arizona Department of Water Resources, Conservation – Residential & Professional
- Lists of Low Water Use & Drought Tolerant Plants by regions in Arizona,
- Landscape Resources
- Irrigation and Water Harvesting
- Irrigation
- AMWUA’s Landscape Watering by the Numbers
- Training and Certifications
- Desert Lawn Care Guide
- Guidelines for Landscape Drip Irrigation Systems
- How often and How long to water
- Water Harvesting
- Gray Water Harvesting
- Rainwater Harvesting
- Irrigation
- Arizona Municipal Water Users’ Association, (AMWUA)
- Water - Use It Wisely (WUIW)
City Resources - Water Conservation
- City of Apache Junction
- Town of Carefree Water Company
- Town of Cave Creek
- City of Chandler
- Town of Fountain Hills
- Town of Gilbert
- City of Glendale
- City of Goodyear
- Town of Marana
- City of Mesa Water
- City of Peoria
- City of Phoenix
- Town of Queen Creek
- City of Safford
- City of Scottsdale
- City of Surprise
- City of Tempe
- City of Tucson
- City of Yuma
University of Arizona Resource Publications
- Watering Trees and Shrubs, Simple Techniques for Efficient Landscape Watering - AZ1298-2017
- A Study of Irrigation Requirements of Southwestern Landscape Trees - AZ1741-2017
- Water Wise Landscape Design in Five Easy Steps - AZ1497-2009
- Care of Desert Adapted Plants - AZ1048
- Converting Turf to a Xeriscape Landscape - AZ1371
- Doing our Part to Help Conserve Arizona’s Water Resources and Reduce Global Warming by Saving Energy at Home - AZ1458-2015
- Drip Irrigation: The Basics - AZ1392-2016
- Mowing Turfgrasses in the Desert - AZ1681-2015