By Bill Cook | Arizona Republic
Sun City was built during a time when Arizona was considered to be the Wild West. The state population was a mere 1.3 million, and there was plenty of water to go around with few limitations on usage.
Golf courses were built with hundreds of acres of wall-to-wall grass and lakes were built with beauty in mind – with little regard for conservation. That was 1960.
Today, Arizonans are aware of the finite nature of our water resources, and Sun City and the Recreation Centers of Sun City, Inc. (RCSC), the owner and operator of all Sun City recreational facilities, are at the forefront of implementing water conservation measures.
Since 2006, RCSC has invested nearly $14 million in golf course water conservation projects, including turf reduction, irrigation upgrades and low water-use plant conversion. In addition, Recreation Centers of Sun City’s board has approved a budget of an additional $20 million in similar projects, including the relining of its lake at a cost of $8 million.
