NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA WATER DEMAND STUDY Phase I Report

The North Central Arizona Water Demand Study Phase I Report examines water use, conservation, and alternative supplies for non-reservation communities on the Coconino Plateau. It establishes a baseline of current water demand, evaluates existing conservation efforts, and proposes a detailed methodology for a Phase II study to forecast future potable and nonpotable water needs under various investment scenarios.

• In 2000, the total water demand for the study area was approximately 5,842 million gallons (17,930 acre-feet), consisting of 80% potable demand, 16% reclaimed wastewater, and 4% raw water.
• The City of Flagstaff is the primary driver of regional water demand, accounting for approximately 60% of the total water use in the study area in 2000.
• Water demand in the region is highly seasonal, with peak summer demand typically 1.5 to 2.5 times higher than winter demand; in Page and Tusayan, these increases are roughly 4 and 3 times, respectively.
• Groundwater is the primary source for most communities, but drilling is costly and risky due to extreme depths, reaching over 3,000 feet in Williams, Valle, and Tusayan.
• Reclaimed wastewater is a significant alternative supply, providing 16% of total regional demand in 2000, with the highest relative contribution in Tusayan at 40%.
• Tusayan is noted for its innovative use of reclaimed water for toilet flushing in almost all commercial and multi-family buildings.
• Water efficiency and conservation efforts vary widely, with Flagstaff having the most extensive program and Page having no serious program despite its size and growth concerns.
• High water prices often act as a conservation tool by default due to the high cost of supply, rather than as a conscious strategy, though Flagstaff, Doney Park, and Kachina Village have effective conservation rate structures.
• The report identifies 23 efficiency and conservation measures and 20 implementation techniques appropriate for the study area to reduce water demand.
• The authors express reservations about the 1999 ADWR water demand projections, noting they may underestimate 2000 demand by 10% to 24% and lack documented methodology.
• The proposed Phase II methodology will use a 'per account' basis for potable water forecasting, incorporating population projections from the Arizona Department of Economic Security (ADES).
• Phase II will forecast total water demand under three scenarios: Baseline, Moderate conservation and alternative supply investment, and Aggressive conservation and alternative supply investment.
• The estimated cost for the proposed Phase II study ranges from $75,000 to $150,000.

APA

Pinkham, R., & Davis, B. (2002). NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA WATER DEMAND STUDY Phase I Report. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_W02-18_AZWaterDemandStudy.pdf

Chicago

Pinkham, Richard, and Bill Davis. NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA WATER DEMAND STUDY Phase I Report. RMI, 2002. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_W02-18_AZWaterDemandStudy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Pinkham |first1=Richard |last2=Davis |first2=Bill |title=NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA WATER DEMAND STUDY Phase I Report |publisher=RMI |date=June 2002 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_W02-18_AZWaterDemandStudy.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{pinkham2002north, author = {Pinkham, Richard and Davis, Bill}, title = {{NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA WATER DEMAND STUDY Phase I Report}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2002}, month = jun, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_W02-18_AZWaterDemandStudy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }