As Arizona grapples with persistent water shortages, Phoenix-area towns are offering incentives to residents to encourage them to switch to more sustainable yards.
Maricopa County is by far the most populous county in the Grand Canyon State, and it's experiencing severe drought conditions. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, most of the county is at an extreme drought level. To address this issue, local municipalities are implementing rebate programs to encourage homeowners to conserve water.
With over 250,000 residents, Gilbert is one of the largest suburbs of Phoenix in the southeastern metropolitan area. It has several water conservation rebates for individual homeowners, businesses, and homeowners associations. Some qualifying households can claim up to $2,000 by ditching their water-guzzling lawns, depending on their size. Even yards as small as 200 square feet can take advantage of the incentives. The total rebate climbs to $3,000 if households take advantage of the desert plant bonus, provided the plants come from an approved list of desert plants or the Arizona Department of Water Resources' low-water-use plants.
There's also a rebate to install water-saving smart irrigation controllers and a county-wide one for switching to electric lawncare products. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that if every household with automatic sprinklers had one, it would save 220 billion gallons of water. The rebates in Maricopa aren't the only incentives in the state; nearby Tucson is also offering rebates to encourage the removal of lawns.
There are other ways to enjoy a beautiful yard in areas with water scarcity. Xeriscaping is a landscaping technique that utilizes drought-resistant soil and plants with minimal water needs. Rewilding a yard with native plants is another effective way to reduce water use and save money.
Arizona's proactive approach to cutting down its municipal water use is undoubtedly a step in the right direction, but there are other concerns the state needs to address. Despite water scarcity, Maricopa County is a hub for artificial intelligence data servers, boasting the second-highest concentration in the country. Keeping those servers cool requires vast amounts of water.
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Most of Arizona's water, about 72%, is used by its agricultural sector, and much of that precious groundwater is sucked up by Saudi-owned alfalfa farms. As the Arizona Capitol Times reported, the state's attorney general is engaged in a lengthy court battle to restrict it.
Federal, state, and municipal incentives can be a powerful tool to encourage more sustainable lifestyles. Still, they're often only available for a limited time, so it's always best to take advantage while they're still there.
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