The Save It! Campaign is a partnership between Arizona Water Company and the City of Casa Grande, intended to educate residents about water conservation and how important it is to our community’s future. You can learn more about our unique partnership, our goals, and ways you can save water on our website. Thanks for your interest and don’t forget to #SaveItCG!

Read more on our campaign landing page and feel free to follow along on our Facebook and Instagram pages! 

Water conservation is important for our community not just because of current and planned growth, but also because managing our water supply and demand is critical in the desert. The unique thing about our community is that water is a central component of the 2030 proposed General Land Use Plan, meaning growth decisions will be made based on the water resources already available. To create a path to sustainability, we are seeking to reduce our reliance on groundwater. This campaign is a part of a larger effort put forth by the City of Casa Grande with Arizona Water Company to use all of our water resources wisely and to reduce groundwater use as much as possible. This will ensure that we are building a sustainable community for our children and grandchildren. Learn more about Save It! on our campaign page!

The SAVE IT campaign does not address housing and growth issues.  The SAVE IT campaign was created to help the community use water more efficiently and to help ensure that current and future businesses as well as residents in Casa Grande will always have enough water to create the quality of life the community desires in a way that’s sustainable.   To learn more about how the City addresses housing and growth issues, please see Casa Grande’s 2030 General Land Use Plan, which can be viewed here. Find out more about the SAVE IT campaign here: https://casagrandechamber.org/save-it/

Agriculture is an important part of Casa Grande’s economy and history. The General Land Use Plan has a section dedicated to Rural Land Use starting at page 61, that highlights the City’s understanding of the cultural, economic, and environmental significance of preserving rural and agricultural lands in Casa Grande. The content and messaging of this campaign is geared towards Casa Grande residents and businesses because these users are regulated under the State’s Municipal Conservation Program. There are other State conservation programs directed specifically towards agriculture. Both the Agricultural and Municipal Conservation Programs are found on the Arizona Department of Water Resources’ website under the Conservation in the Active Management Area’s (AMA) page.

An industrial water user is a large user that has its own water right, mostly uses its own water, and for the most part does not get its water from a provider like Arizona Water Company. Some examples of industrial users are properties include dairies, power plants, and turf facilities like golf-courses, parks, schools, and cemeteries. The content and messaging of this campaign is geared towards Casa Grande residents and businesses because these users are regulated under the State’s Municipal Conservation Program. In Casa Grande, some turf-related facilities also receive water from Arizona Water Company.  In this case, these facilities are actually regulated under the State’s Industrial Conservation program in addition to the Municipal Conservation Program.  Details about the Industrial Conservation Program are found on the Arizona Department of Water Resources’ website under the Conservation in the Active Management Area’s (AMA) page.

Before new developments can get approved by the city to be built, the developers must secure an Assured Water Supply (AWS). The AWS Program is a consumer protection program administered by the Arizona Department of Water Resources that ensures new subdivisions have a secure supply of water with adequate quality for at least 100 years. Currently, there are approximately 21,000 vacant lots with AWS determinations in Casa Grande which is sufficient to meet the projected development in Casa Grande for the next 20-30 years.  Through the Save IT Campaign, we are asking all residents and businesses to use water efficiently.  Future development, however, is required to bring renewable water supplies in addition to using those supplies efficiently.  Learn more about this in the Water Resources Element section of the General Land Use Plan, starting on page 221.

We believe that everyone’s water footprint extends beyond the home utility bill and encompasses all the businesses in Casa Grande too. That is why this campaign is intended for both residential and commercial water users. We hope that people follow the campaign to see what resources we will be providing for businesses  as well as residents. More information about other conservation efforts that are being implemented, such as the Water Wise Outside program, can be found on the Demand Management press release.

Thanks for taking the initiative to be water-conscious. Every drop counts! Feel free to follow our Facebook and Instagram pages as we’ll be posting water-saving tips and sharing the successes of residents and businesses who are helping to #SaveItCG! (and feel free to share ways you are saving water on social media using the hashtag #SaveItCG)

Our goal is not to discourage certain businesses from operating, it’s to educate residents and businesses about ways they can save water to ensure we have a bright future. Read more about Save It! on our campaign page!

Water demands are met by three sources in Casa Grande: groundwater, Central Arizona Project (CAP) water and reclaimed water. The largest portion of the supply is groundwater. While CAP water and reclaimed water are also used, they are stored underground and pumped from wells along with groundwater. It is important to have a balance of water supplies available to meet water demands. Groundwater is a very reliable supply as it is not typically subject to drought or shortage the way a surface water supply like CAP water is. But groundwater is also not considered a renewable water supply that replenishes itself each year. Still there are vast aquifers in our area with a substantial amount of groundwater. New modeling studies prepared by Arizona Water Company show there is ample groundwater in local aquifers to meet demands for 100 years in the Casa Grande area.

Agriculture uses over 80% of the water in the Pinal County Area.  There are four agriculture districts in or near the City of Casa Grande:

• Maricopa Stanfield Irrigation and Drainage District (MSIDD)
• Central Arizona Irrigation and Drainage District (CAIDD)
• San Carlos Irrigation and Drainage District (SCIDD)
• Hohokam Irrigation & Drainage District (HIDD)

There are also farms located outside these irrigation districts. Collectively, the irrigation districts and independent farmers irrigate about 250,000 acres of farmland and use on average about 840,000 acre-feet of water.  Farms in Pinal County use water from four water supplies:  groundwater, Colorado River water, reclaimed water and surface water (e.g. Gila River water).  The water source and amount of each source used varies by year and by each irrigation district or independent farm. If you’d like to see a breakdown of how much water the agricultural sector used by water type, please reference the Arizona Department of Water Resources Annual Supply and Demand Dashboard.

If you ever see any flooding or issues with agriculture irrigation water, please call (602)294-2195 and we will get you in touch with the appropriate irrigation district to report the issue.