Arizona Blue Ribbon Panel on Water Sustainability

Abstract

Excerpt from the Background or Rationale: In response to the twin pressures of population growth and an arid environment, Arizona has conventionally addressed water challenges by increasing supply. The initiative described below demonstrates how decisionmakers at a range of levels in the state are reconsidering the other side of the equation – alleviating water demand, especially through conservation, recycling, and reuse. In particular, the expanding practice of water reuse has become the centerpiece of efforts to achieve sustainability. This offers some important lessons for other regions experiencing similar pressures.