PHOENIX —
The Phoenix City Council has approved the Sustainable Desert Development Policy, a water conservation policy for the city.
The policy was approved in a unanimous vote on Tuesday.
New policy guidelines include regulations on non-functional turf, a mandate to meet EPA WaterSense, planting of drought-tolerant and native plants, outdoor irrigation standards, enhanced standards for swimming pools, and more.
Mayor Kate Gallego said this policy along with other conservation programs "will safeguard our precious water supply for decades to come.”
The new guidelines are based on information gathered from the city’s work with the Verdin development.
The North Phoenix neighborhood worked to implement water conservation measures in its homes that will use 55 million fewer gallons of water every single year than a standard subdivision.
The Sustainable Desert Development Policy will work along with the city council’s recent vote to leave up to 150,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Mead over the next three years and the creation of a new water purification facility that will recycle nearly 60 million gallons of water per day.
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