New to Arizona or know someone who is? In the desert, many plants can grow and thrive, and some may need surprisingly less water than you’d think they would. 1. Find out what to plant with the Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert guide: https://www.amwua.org/plants 2. Learn how to best water these plants with the Landscape Watering by the Numbers: https://bit.ly/4BierFD
Winter rye grass has a similar look and texture to grasses seen in more northern regions of the United States. This type of grass can be seen in the fall and winters in Arizona at properties that decide to install it. It can only stay alive in Arizona fall and winter when there are specific lower temperatures. It usually dies in the springtime. Winter rye grass is not a grass that comes back the way that Bermuda grass does. This means that it needs to be planted every year. Every fall, winter rye grass seed has to be put down and watered in order for this grass to get established for the cooler seasons.
There are two main types of grass in Arizona: Bermuda and Winter rye. Depending on the time of year, you will see either type, but you will never see both at the same time. Bermuda is a grass that thrives in the summertime, and we call it our “warm season” grass. More Bermuda Facts: • It is usually more coarse in texture and is a type of grass that has been discovered to do particularly well in the desert southwestern US. • Bermuda grass needs at least 8 hours of direct sunlight and specific hot temperatures to thrive! This means that it does not do well when it is shaded (like under trees), and in the wintertime it goes dormant (a yellow/brown color). • You cannot get Bermuda grass to stay green during the Arizona winters; however, it will come back! In the spring, Bermuda grass will come back from its winter dormant state and be green and lush again in the summer if watered properly.
Learning to be a good water steward starts at a young age, and the sooner we teach kids to use water wisely, the better our community is for generations to come! The U of A’s Arizona Project WET has an amazing resource called a Water Festival that teaches 4th-grade students about the following topics: groundwater, watershed management and protection, the water cycle, and water-related sustainability. The festival itself is a 2-hour, hands-on field trip that gets kids learning about complex topics all while having fun. The festival is partnered with in-class lessons and satisfies educational science standards. Thanks to Liberty Utilities and Arizona Water Company for being primary sponsors for the festival for the past 3 years!
Water conservation is about balancing reducing water waste and increasing water use efficiency, all while maintaining a desired quality of life. A residential water audit is a great way to find out what you can do, specifically at your house, to conserve water. Schedule a free residential water audit with the Cochise County Cooperative Extension's Water Wise program today by emailing cbrady17@arizona.edu or calling 520-384-3594.
The Cochise County Cooperative Extension's Water Wise program has been offering water conservation tools and resources in Cochise County for years! One of these efforts is adult education workshops and classes on various water topics - the most recent one being the Drip Irrigation 101 workshop on 9/11/26. Interested in attending a class? Check out their website:
Liberty Utilities is one of the private water utilities in Sierra Vista, and they have amazing programs to help their customers conserve water. From water audits and smart irrigation controller rebates to workshops, check out what Liberty offers their customers here:
There are a lot of great resources to help the average Arizonan conserve water in ways that make sense for them. The following four books are some of those wonderful resources! These books are accessible online for free, but if you want any of these mailed to you, please request one here: https://bit.ly/47H9jLV
Water conservation is most effective when everyone does their part, from families in homes to companies and businesses. For Arizona Water Company commercial, industrial, or institutional customers, they can get a free water efficiency checkup, complete with a summary report that outlines customized recommendations for water conservation. Interested in scheduling one? Find more information here:
If we have an opportunity to make a conservation program better, we should! That’s why the free Arizona Water Company Conservation Kit Program is turning into the free AWC AZ Water-Wise Kit Program! With this new version of the program, AWC customers can go online to customize what products they want included in their kits, and the kit gets mailed directly to their service address. Not an AWC customer? No problem. Thanks to SRP, this program is offered for free to any residential water user across Arizona. For more information, visit https://wuiw.com/kit
One of the easiest ways to reduce the water footprint at a home is to replace old, inefficient water-use devices with newer, more efficient models. A pre-1994 toilet can use anywhere between 3.5 and 7 gallons of water per flush (gpf), whereas newer toilets use 1.28 gpf or less! Luckily, the city, county, and local water utility, Arizona Water Company, all have resources to help you save money when you replace your old toilet with a new model. Check out these links for toilet rebate programs available to you - • City of Sierra Vista: https://bit.ly/4xRquGT • Cochise County - Government: https://bit.ly/4iTFaBI • Arizona Water Company: https://bit.ly/4bpJ6CO • Liberty Utilities: https://bit.ly/4z6a8vaShow Less
On September 12, 2026, the City of Sierra Vista, in partnership with the Cochise County Cooperative Extension's Water Wise Program and local water utility Arizona Water Company (AWC), came together to launch The Long View, an Integrated Demand Management Program (IDMP) that builds upon existing water conservation resources for the community. Individually, each partner in the IDMP already provides water conservation resources for the community, but when it comes to water, there is always more that can be done. Through the IDMP, leaders in the community will collaborate and build resources to build on the existing foundation for water conservation.
Do you wonder what water conservation efforts exist and what else this program will add? Explore our FAQs!
Caring about water is deeply ingrained in Sierra Vista’s history and continues to be a focus for the future. As water in Arizona continues to get more complex, now is the time to come together to collaborate more on water conservation to ensure Sierra Vista has the best possible resources available. Share your input on conservation topics you want to learn more about and how the partners can support your efforts to save water in your home and business. https://annta13rexn.typeform.com/SierraVista
Water conservation means being mindful of every drop we use, because we have enough water, but never enough to waste. With a groundwater-based system like Sierra Vista, every gallon of water conserved is a gallon of water left in the local aquifer and saved for the future. While the water future in Arizona and the Southwest United States becomes more complicated and strained, Sierra Vista will not rest on its laurels. Together we will continue to manage our resources responsibly for the good of Sierra Vista today, tomorrow, and well into the future. That’s The Long View. www.thelongviewsv.com
Water conservation means being mindful of every drop we use, because we have enough water, but never enough to waste. With a groundwater-based system like Sierra Vista, every gallon of water conserved is a gallon of water left in the local aquifer and saved for the future. As the water future in Arizona and the Southwest United States becomes more complicated and strained, now is the time to do all that we can for the good of Sierra Vista today, tomorrow, and well into the future. That’s The Long View. Follow us on Facebook, subscribe on YouTube, and explore our website for more information. 📹 https://www.youtube.com/@TheLongViewSV 🔗 www.thelongviewsv.com
On September 12, 2026, the City of Sierra Vista, in partnership with the Cochise County Cooperative Extension's Water Wise program and local water utility Arizona Water Company (AWC), came together to launch The Long View, an Integrated Demand Management Program (IDMP) that builds upon existing water conservation resources for the community. Learn more at www.thelongviewsv.com
For questions on the program:
Arizona Water Company:
Phone: 602-294-2479
City of Sierra Vista:
Phone: 520-417-6907
The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension’s Water Wise Program:
Phone number: 520-384-3594
The Long View
