Phoenix City Council Passes Large Water User Ordinance

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and the City Council unanimously approved a water conservation ordinance geared towards large water users, another major component of the “Sustainable Desert Development Policy” that Gallego has led since early 2022. The new policies follow years of strategic planning to ensure Phoenix is managing its water resources responsibly. Last year, in her 2023 State of the City​ address, Gallego highlighted her efforts to create these new guidelines – and today, another aspect of the policy suite became law.

“Passing our new large water user ordinance is another important milestone in our longstanding commitment to a comprehensive approach to protect our water resources,” said Mayor Gallego. “This new policy will ensure we are balancing our economic development priorities with the critical need to secure our water supply for generations to come. Phoenix will continue to lead the way both in policy and practice to ensure we sustain our most precious resource.”

Other components of the Sustainable Desert Development guidelines passed last June come in the form of rezoning stipulations, which include regulations on non-functional turf, a mandate to meet EPA WaterSense or similar certification, planting of drought-tolerant and native plants, outdoor irrigation standards, enhanced standards for swimming pools, and more.

The new ordinance places additional requirements on new projects estimated to use more than 250,000 gallons per day. Those new large water users must submit a water conservation plan that is approved by the Phoenix Water Services Department. Any new users projected to use more than 500,000 gallons per day must submit a conservation plan, meet at least 30 percent of their consumptive water demand with recycled or conserved water, and fit within the City’s existing Water Resource Portfolio.

Today’s City Council vote builds upon decades of water-forward policies in Phoenix that benefit the region. The new policies go hand-in-hand with the City Council’s vote last year to leave up to 150,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Mead over the next three years, as well as with Gallego’s 2023 announcement to create an Advanced Water Purification facility that will recycle nearly 60 million gallons of water per day.

To see the text of the new large water user ordinance, click here.

To see the Sustainable Desert Development Resolution passed in 2023, click here.

For more information on Phoenix’s water conservation programs, click here.