By Caitlin McGlade | The Arizona Republic
Households in Tempe’s southern-most ZIP code used the most water compared with other Tempe ZIP codes — enough on average to fill more than one 15,000-gallon swimming pool or run 710 laundry loads a month from 2012 through 2014. But they cut back by almost 8 percent from fiscal 2012 through 2014. Tempe’s northern-most ZIP code used the least and managed to cut back the most — by 19.7 percent.
Peter Smith, Tempe’s water conservation coordinator, said Tempe was able to get residents on board with conservation by publicizing the city’s own efforts to cut back. The city made a 15 to 20 percent cut across city offices in the early 2000s, he said.
Related: Older Mesa homes using more water than new ones/The Arizona Republic