PHOENIX — More expensive electric bills aren’t the only hit Phoenicians take as temperatures skyrocket across the Valley this summer. Water usage is also up significantly this time of year.
The City of Phoenix said its water usage is just slightly less than double in July, verses January. In January, the city temperature averages mid-60s. In July? That spikes to around 106 degrees.
And then there are excessively hot days like Tuesday, with a forecasted high of 117 degrees. Brandy Kelso, the Phoenix Assistant Water Services Director, said they’re planning to use about 12 billion gallons of water in July alone. That's about how much water the city has been using each summer for the last two years, Kelso said. And on the hottest days, Kelso said Phoenix expects to use about 400 million gallons of water in one day, to meet all needs.
Phoenix pointed to many different factors when watching local water usage skyrocket in summer months. Kelso said pool evaporation rates go up with heat and landscaping needs more water. She added, even with a growing population, water usage in Phoenix is still similar to what it was 30 years ago. It can vary slightly by year and they’re always tracking water to make sure there’s enough to go around.
“We would look at historical, what we’ve normally ordered during that time frame," Kelso said. "We also look at what we have today in the system and how much people are using today to predict tomorrow.”
Kelso said they order water through SRP every day for the next day. Factors like weather and how today’s temperature might affect tomorrow’s temperature play a role in the amount that’s ordered. The city plans ahead on a two year cycle to make sure there’s enough water to go around for all of the needs, year-round.
Kelso added, they’re always looking for ways to save the precious resource.
“We’ve had an increase in our programs over the last year to two years including rebates for putting in low flow devices such as toilets," she said. "We've also started our turf rebate program. It started on our commercial side. "It will be rolling out to residents here in the next year.”
You can save water year-round by not watering plants and grass during the hottest part of the day. Inside, you can replace any faucets or other fixtures that have leaks. More ways to save can be found on the City of Phoenix Save Water Resources page.
Other Valley cities also see their water demand increase when temperatures rise. Peoria said their daily demand for water about doubles from winter to summer. In June, Peoria uses about 42 million gallons of water per day. In July, Glendale averages about 1.5 billion gallons of water use. Chandler says the summer increase in water use for its non-residential customers is usually attributed to cooling towers.
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