As a desert community, water is a precious resource for the City of Peoria. The City has consistently shown it is a forward-thinking community through its sustainability planning efforts. Peoria’s general planning document, PlanPeoriaAZ 2040, outlines the City’s commitment to ensuring the best quality of living for Peoria residents through the Livability Initiatives. As part of its priorities, the City prioritizes “Smart Growth,” emphasizing sustainable development, particularly conserving water resources in anticipation of future growth.
In the Spring 2022 semester, the City of Peoria engaged with two ASU classes to research water conservation strategies and advise on improvements to the City’s existing water policies. The City’s Water Services department has previously engaged with students through the ASU Project Cities program to research best practices for its drought planning efforts. However, as Peoria’s population grows, and thus its residential and commercial developments, the Water Services and Planning departments seek to better integrate water and land use planning into its general plan, codes, and ordinances.
Students from SOS 321 Policy and Governance in Sustainable Systems engaged with Peoria’s Water Services to review Peoria’s existing water planning documents, codes, and ordinances. Students were split into six teams to review peer community plans for six policy areas, including General Drought and Water Management, Growth, Service Extension and Annexation, Building and Plumbing, Landscaping and Outdoor Irrigation, Land Conservation and Open Space, and Water Conservation. Students reviewed peer community general plans, drought management documents, policies, and ordinances related to their respective topics to identify key themes and develop recommendations for the City of Peoria to implement in their water and land use planning.
The City of Peoria has demonstrated its commitment to water conservation efforts, including considering integrating water and land-use methods. While the City offers a variety of rebates and incentives for water use, the student research revealed that the City could benefit from better communicating its water conservation efforts and opportunities to its residents through the City website and social media. Additionally, the City can consider alternative methods for water-saving incentives, including consumption-based fixed rates. The following project summary report details a review of peer community policies and strategies related to water conservation. The student recommendations aim to provide the City of Peoria with tools and best practices to better inform Peoria’s water planning efforts.