Opinion: Shouldn’t we mandate conservation if we need to save water? There are a few reasons why Arizona cities haven’t gone that route yet.
By Joanna Allhands | Arizona Republic
Few Arizona cities mandate water conservation measures now, but most have plans to do so in the future.
Why don’t cities mandate conservation measures if Arizona needs to save water?
This is a question I get frequently, and there’s a simple answer: Because we’re not at that stage yet.
That doesn’t mean saving water is unimportant. Cities can and should be doing more to help residents use less.
But there are reasons why Arizona cities aren’t yet forcing residents and businesses to save – and we can see them playing out in California.
California has struggled to save more water
California has essentially cut off State Water Project supplies to many cities and farmers this year because there isn’t enough water to go around. It also has announced another round of mandatory statewide restrictions on things like outdoor watering and car washing.
The state enacted mandatory conservation measures for the first time in 2015 to reduce usage by 25%. Many cities have generally sustained those savings, the result of converted landscaping and other measures.
But the state also widely missed its target last year to save an additional 15% – in part because those 2015 mandates took out the low-hanging fruit. If California wants to save more water now, it’ll require behavioral changes that residents may not be so eager to make, much less sustain over time.
