Water and sustainability
In the high desert of Northern Arizona
Pick one from each of the following three categories:
1. Use of water for different purposes:
a. Residential needs
i. Human uses
ii. Watering of lawns, landscaping and gardens
b. Commercial uses
i. Production
ii. Watering of lawns and landscaping
c. Recreation
i. Parks
ii. Skiing
iii. Golf
2. Methods of meeting these needs
a. Increasing ground water use by developing Red Gap Ranch
b. Improve the level of waste water treatment and designate different uses for reclaimed water
c. Conservation
3. Water rates and use restrictions: current, proposed changes, evaluation
a. Residential
b. Commercial
c. Recreation
Revenge of the Lawn
A discussion of the challenges and opportunities in securing a sustainable water future.
Hosted by Philosophy in the Public Interest
College of Arts and Letters, NAU
New Water Resources
Of the 7,000 acres of land suitable for development within City limits, Flagstaff has designated 60% for open space and conservation. Development is allowed on the remaining 40%.5
- Picture Canyon and Observatory Mesa have recently been reserved for open space, adding over 2,700 acres of land within City limits that cannot be developed.5
Population Growth
Fig. 6 Estimated cost of additional water resources over a ten year period. Estimates include upfront infrastructure costs, operation and maintenance, and electricity usage. The right Y axis is the volume/cost ratio and is a metric of cost-effectiveness The higher the ratio, the greater the volume of water supplied for a given cost. *Includes the estimated cost of water rights only. Drawing water from the Upper Colorado River basin faces many legal challenges.3
Which new water resources should the city focus its efforts on?
Should cities like Flagstaff and Sedona restrict growth in order to meet future water needs?
Knowing all the topics we discussed involve tradeoffs:
How should Flagstaff meet future water needs? What should our priorities be?
Arizona Department of Water Resources. “Water Supply of the Eastern Plateau Planning Area,” Groundwater, 27 Mar. 2014. Web. 14 Nov. 2015.
City of Flagstaff-Utilities Division. “Utilities Integrated Master Plan: Water Resources Chapter,” 8 Apr. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2015.
3. City of Flagstaff - Utilities Division. “Report to the Water Commission: Water, Wastewater, Reuse and Stormwater,” 11 May 2015. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
4. CDM Smith, EPA, and USAID. "2012 Guidelines for Water Reuse," (2012). US Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 2015.
5. City of Flagstaff. “Open Spaces Commission - Recent Success,” Web. 2015.
References:
What’s Inside?
Figures:
1. Water resource needs with projected population growth
2. Flagstaff water use per capita
3. Flagstaff’s current water resources
4. Potential water conservation measures
5. Current reclaimed water uses
6. Estimated cost of new water resources
Table:
1. Restrictions to groundwater use
water use and conservation in the high de.
Personalisation of Education by AI and Big Data - Lourdes Guàrdia
Water and sustainabilityIn the high desert of Northern Arizona.docx
1. Water and sustainability
In the high desert of Northern Arizona
Pick one from each of the following three categories:
1. Use of water for different purposes:
a. Residential needs
i. Human uses
ii. Watering of lawns, landscaping and gardens
b. Commercial uses
i. Production
ii. Watering of lawns and landscaping
c. Recreation
i. Parks
ii. Skiing
iii. Golf
2. Methods of meeting these needs
a. Increasing ground water use by developing Red Gap Ranch
b. Improve the level of waste water treatment and designate
different uses for reclaimed water
c. Conservation
3. Water rates and use restrictions: current, proposed changes,
evaluation
a. Residential
b. Commercial
c. Recreation
Revenge of the Lawn
2. A discussion of the challenges and opportunities in securing a
sustainable water future.
Hosted by Philosophy in the Public Interest
College of Arts and Letters, NAU
New Water Resources
Of the 7,000 acres of land suitable for development within City
limits, Flagstaff has designated 60% for open space and
conservation. Development is allowed on the remaining 40%.5
- Picture Canyon and Observatory Mesa have recently been
reserved for open space, adding over 2,700 acres of land within
City limits that cannot be developed.5
Population Growth
Fig. 6 Estimated cost of additional water resources over a ten
year period. Estimates include upfront infrastructure costs,
operation and maintenance, and electricity usage. The right Y
axis is the volume/cost ratio and is a metric of cost-
effectiveness The higher the ratio, the greater the volume of
water supplied for a given cost. *Includes the estimated cost of
water rights only. Drawing water from the Upper Colorado
River basin faces many legal challenges.3
Which new water resources should the city focus its efforts on?
Should cities like Flagstaff and Sedona restrict growth in order
to meet future water needs?
Knowing all the topics we discussed involve tradeoffs:
How should Flagstaff meet future water needs? What should our
priorities be?
Arizona Department of Water Resources. “Water Supply of the
Eastern Plateau Planning Area,” Groundwater, 27 Mar. 2014.
Web. 14 Nov. 2015.
City of Flagstaff-Utilities Division. “Utilities Integrated Master
Plan: Water Resources Chapter,” 8 Apr. 2011. Web. 14 Nov.
2015.
3. City of Flagstaff - Utilities Division. “Report to the Water
Commission: Water, Wastewater, Reuse and Stormwater,” 11
May 2015. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
3. 4. CDM Smith, EPA, and USAID. "2012 Guidelines for
Water Reuse," (2012). US Environmental Protection Agency.
Web. 2015.
5. City of Flagstaff. “Open Spaces Commission - Recent
Success,” Web. 2015.
References:
What’s Inside?
Figures:
1. Water resource needs with projected population growth
2. Flagstaff water use per capita
3. Flagstaff’s current water resources
4. Potential water conservation measures
5. Current reclaimed water uses
6. Estimated cost of new water resources
Table:
1. Restrictions to groundwater use
water use and conservation in the high desert
1
Cost AF
Groundwater Red Gap RanchReclaimed water recharge and
reuse Colorado River suppy* 830 3857 974 3000 Volume
AF/year
Groundwater Red Gap RanchReclaimed water recharge and
reuse Colorado River suppy* 716 12000 4480 8000
Ratio (volume/cost) Groundwater Red Gap Ranch
Reclaimed water recharge and reuseColorado River suppy*
0.86265060240963898 3.1112263417163599
4.59958932238193 2.6666666666666661
4. Cost / acre-foot and volume of water supplied / yr
Volume/cost ratio
Additional Resource Option
Current and Future Water Needs
An acre foot of water is the amount of water it takes to cover an
acre of land with 1 foot of water. Equals 325,851 gallons. An
average family requires 0.25 acre-feet of water per year.
Water Conservation
Should we do more to incentivize and promote
conservation?WellfieldMaximum Draw Per Year (Acre-
Feet)Woody Mountain
3,500 Lake Mary 2,500
Inner City 1,300 to 3,800 Inner Basin
542 Red Gap Ranch 15,000
Table 1. The allowable amount of water per year that the City
can draw from each well field in order to ensure a sustainable
yield.1
Fig. 1 Projected population growth and water resource needs
based on different growth and conservation scenarios.3
Fig 3. Breakdown of the City of Flagstaff’s current water
supply.2
Fig. 2 Water use per capita from 1980 – 2010
Fig. 4 Cost to both the City and the consumer for different
water conservation options, along with the potential volume of
water saved (city-wide) under each option.3
Reclaimed Water
Fig. 5 Current uses of reclaimed water. The right chart shows
how the reclaim water that is delivered to consumers is
allocated on an annual basis.2
5. Reclaimed water availability varies depending on the season. In
January – March, reclaimed water accounts for 13% – 19% of
total water supply. In April – July, reclaimed water makes up
21% - 30% of our total water supply.
Should we expand the use of reclaimed water in our water
portfolio?
If so, in what ways?
Gallons per person per day
Reclaimed water is treated municipal wastewater. Flagstaff has
two wastewater treatment facilities that treat Flagstaff’s
wastewater to Arizona’s highest standard for reclaim water.4
Current Rebates for Water Conservation
Efficient Toilet Rebate - $100 credit per toilet
Turf Rebate – One time $500 credit (min 1,500 square feet
removal)
Rain Water Harvesting Rebate – One time $100 credit (1,000
gallon tank)
Population Growth and Water Resource Needs
Historical Population Growth 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070 2080 7663 18214
26117 35310 45990 62710 65870
Projected population @ 1.4% growth rate 1950 1960
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070
2080 65870 71963.8 83024.399999999994
95785.1 110507.2 127492 147087.4 169694.5
Projected population @ < 1% growth rate 65870
72266.899999999994 80400.2 87537.600000000006
93861.1 99657.5 105801.2 112323.4 Historical water
resource needs 1263 2568 4719 6212 8541 8912 8353 Water
resource needs with 1.4% growth and no additional conservation
8353 9189.6 10602 12231.5 14111.3 16280.2
18782.7 21669.3 Water resource needs 1. 4% growth
20% additional conservation 8353 8961.7999999999938
9800.2999999999938 10758.7 11811.5 13207.4
15230.3 17571 Water resource needs < 1%
6. growth no additional conservation 8353 9226.9
10266.799999999999 11178.3 11985.7 12725.8
13510.5 14343.1 Water resource needs < 1%
growth 20% additional conservation8353 8999.1
9492.2999999999938 9834.7999999999938
10035.6 10324.200000000001 10955.3 11630.6
Year
Population
Volume of water acre-FT
Residential
<1%
Golf Courses Manufacturing Municipal Commercial
NAUConstruction Residential Snowbowl 1013
281 120 137 129 45 3 206 Delivered
Envronmental FlowsUnaccounted Loss Discharge to Rio
de Flag 1934 323 89 3841
Inner Basin springs
<1%
Lake Mary Inner Basin wells Inner Basin springs Lost
and unaccounted Lake Mary wells Woody Mtn wells
Local wells 1037.9000000000001 237.6 18
891 1726.8 2574.6 2752.1
Cost and Volume Saved of Potential Water Conservation
Measures
Cost acre-ft - over ten year period Cisterns new residential
Rain barrels new residential Cisterns new commercial
Cisterns new institutionalHot water recirculators High
efficiency (HE) cothes washer Incinerating toilets Turf
removal Composting toilets HE toilets (1.3 gal) 1980 - 1994
HE toilets (1.3 gal) post 1994 5500 1704 2650 2546 1358
505 1290 297 1352 25 1901 Cost to consumer 3600
100 4720 4939 230 993 2110 2800 5885 278 278 Volume
acre-Ft/year 232 93 33 20 255 220 588 1499 565
311 32
Cost acre-ft
Volume acre-ft