Save Water Indoors and Out

Below are handy links to videos and supporting documents about water conservation, heat mitigation, and more!

Save Water Indoors

Know Your H2O Water Calculator (see how much water your household should be using)

Do-It-Yourself Plumbing Videos Dripping faucet? Leaky toilet? We can help you make some simple fixes! Check out these fun videos from EVIT's plumbing program.

WaterSense (learn about WaterSense labeled products to save water & money)

Indoor Tips (find simple water saving tips on Water - Use It Wisely)

Save Water Outdoors

Up to 70% of water use is outdoors. We've got a number of ways to reduce your use from Xeriscape design and proper watering to swimming pool care.

How to Water Your Grass and Landscape

Landscape Watering by the Numbers: Guide for the AZ Desert (how much & how often to water) - (Order a copy)
Monthly Landscape Watering Reminder (Sign up or find it in the News section on our home page)
Know Your H2O Water Calculator (helps determine landscape water needs)
Keep Your Landscape from Soaking You
Watering Adjustments as Plants Grow

Xeriscape Planning, Design and Install

Xeriscape: Landscaping with Style for the Arizona Desert (if you don't know what Xeriscaping is, this guide can help!)
Watch our 10-Part Landscape Video Series (take your landscape from Drab-to-Fab)
Plant Selection and Planting (how-to advice from Water - Use It Wisely)
Residential Landscape Revitalization Workbook (7 unique design ideas & drawings from City of Scottsdale)
Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert (Order a Copy)

Grass-to-Xeriscape Incentives

Residential Grass-to-Xeriscape Incentive (get up to $2,100 on a future project when you remove grass and replace it with Xeriscape landscaping on a future project)
Commercial and HOA Customers (get incentives on future irrigation efficiency improvements and/or grass removal projects)

Maintaining Your Irrigation System

The Basics of Drip Irrigation for Landscaping (UofA Cooperative Extension)
Programming Your irrigation Controller (Water - Use It Wisely)
Maintaining, Troubleshooting, & Repairing Your Irrigation System(PDF, 322KB) [PDF]
Common Irrigation Problems (common problems with sprinklers, drip, or bubblers)
Landscape Watering by the Numbers (see page 9 for suggested drip emitters per plant)
WaterSense Controllers (automatically adjust watering to the seasons)
Irrigation Installation (details in the Xeriscape: Landscaping with Style)
Drip Irrigation Guidelines(PDF, 2MB) (for Landscape Professionals)

Rainwater Harvesting

See how rainwater harvesting can save you water and benefit your plants.

Harvesting Rainwater for the Landscape
When It Rains, It Pours... And It's Free (resource list from Water - Use It Wisely)
Watershed Management Group (this nonprofit group are the experts!)
Low Impact Development (LID) Toolkit(PDF, 10MB) LID is a sustainable approach to stormwater management that utilizes the landscape to absorb storm runoff in order to reduce offsite flows that can contribute to the pollution of natural waterways, urban flooding and infrastructure costs.
Harvest Rainwater for Drylands and Beyond

Videos On Demand

Find video links or PDFs for our online programming including our Low Water Landscapes Are Beautiful Video Series, featuring Noelle Johnson (AKA, the AZ Plant Lady).

Hiring a Pro – Find the Right Landscaper

Find tips for choosing professional services for your landscape from design, installation, and care.

Know Your Pro (how to find the right person or company for your project)
Find a Smartscape Professional (will help you find locally trained professionals)

Swimming Pools

In our climate, the typical swimming pool can evaporate its equivalent water volume, up to 25,000 gallons, each year.

Keep Splash in Pool - How to Seek a Swimming Pool Leak
Drain or Backwash Your Pool (proper steps, details & guidelines)
Proper Pool Care with Sparky the Dog (video)
Pools and Spas (resources from Water - Use It Wisely)

Find these easy outdoor tips from Water - Use It Wisely.

Grass Removal and Design Tips

Use these resources to learn how to effectively remove your grass and design a beautiful, low-maintenance Xeriscape.

Grass Removal:

Removing Grass? Know the Basics Before You Start (AMWUA)
Removing Grass with Herbicide (Cooperative Extension)

Design:

Top Ten Landscape Design Tips
Xeriscape: Landscaping with Style for the Arizona Desert (if you don't know what Xeriscaping is, start here)
Residential Landscape Revitalization Workbook (7 unique design ideas & drawings from City of Scottsdale)

Low Water Use Plants

Plant Selection

Whether you are looking to completely make over your landscape or just add a new focal point, there are hundreds of desert plants available for just about any function in your landscape.

Plant Square Footage Calculator helps homeowners who are planning a grass conversion and developing a landscape plan for a grass-to-Xeriscape incentive.

Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert - (Order a hard copy)

Plant of the Month (featured on Water - Use It Wisely)

Low-Water-Use Drought Tolerant Plant List (Arizona Department of Water Resources Regulatory List for Phoenix)

Native Plants for Birds (Audubon Arizona)

Low-Water-Use Plants Pinterest Board (featured in Water - Use It Wisely)

Planting Guidelines: Container Trees & Shrubs (UofA Cooperative Extension)

Designing with Plants & Maintaining Them

Xeriscape: Landscaping with Style in the Arizona Desert (Order a hard copy)

How to Water Properly (Find our best low desert watering guides for plants and lawns)

Drab to Fab 10-Part Video Series (steps to design, install & maintain your landscape)

Welcome Wildlife to Your Garden (Glendale, AZ)

Pruning Deciduous Shade Trees (UofA Cooperative Extension)

Pruning Shrubs in Low and Mid-Elevation Deserts in Arizona (UofA Cooperative Extension)

Stop Shearing Shrubs(PDF, 2MB)

Want to use these beautiful plants to replace your grass? Learn more about our Grass-to-Xeriscape Program

Find and Fix Leaks

An average home leak can waste as much as 10,000 gallons* of water in a year. Find and fix those pesky leaks that are wasting water and costing you money!

Reading Your Utility Meter and Identifying Leaks

Do-It-Yourself Plumbing Videos Dripping faucet? Leaky toilet? We can help you make some simple fixes! Check out these fun videos with students from EVIT's plumbing program.

Find & Fix Leaks That Are Draining Your Budget (step-by-step leak detection guide.)

Detect and Chase Down Leaks at Home(PDF, 2MB) (WaterSense challenge)

Finding Leaks Indoors

Is your toilet leaking?

10-minute WaterSense Challenge(PDF, 2MB) to detect and chase down leaks

How to Replace Your Showerhead

How to Replace your Faucet Aerator

How to Replace Your Leaky Toilet Flapper

Finding Leaks Outdoors

How to Read Your Water Meter (watch this 30-second video - find leaks)

How to Seek a Swimming Pool Leak

Identify a Pool Leak (video from SRP)

Maintaining, Troubleshooting, & Repairing Your Irrigation System(PDF, 322KB)

*Data from EPA WaterSense

Water – Use It Wisely

Mesa is a founding member of Water – Use It Wisely, a regional water conservation awareness campaign made up of 21 partners. The program demonstrates how changing a few simple habits can have a significant impact on water consumption.