Conserve to Enhance, Tucson
Make Your Water Conservation Efforts Count towards Improving Desert River Ecosystems!
The Tucson Conserve to Enhance Program (C2E) links water conservation efforts with watershed restoration to ensure that water conservation will translate into benefits for the environment. Participants implement conservation practices, track the money saved through water conservation practices, and then donate their savings to C2E.
C2E is managed by WMG, the Sonoran Institute, and the UA Water Resources Research Center. The funds generated by program participants are overseen by a community advisory board, which chooses the beneficiary river and stream enhancement projects within the Tucson community. Funds donated will go directly to the environment, to protect and restore desert rivers, create instream flows needed for a healthy ecosystem, and increase groundwater levels.
Pilot Program
A pilot program (view informational brochure) was launched in January 2011 with 60 participants from a diverse spectrum of Tucson’s population. Through funding from the Environmental Protection Agency, we gave $500 - $1,000 subsidies to 45 of the pilot participants to install water harvesting features at their home through WMG’s Co-op program.
Once conservation features are installed, participants track their water use using an online Conservation Calculator and make a quarterly donation to the Conserve to Enhance Program based on the amount of money saved on their water bill. Funds generated from the pilot program will benefit the Atturbury Wash enhancement project.
To Participate
Those living in the greater Tucson region, who are able to track their water consumption, are eligible to participate in the C2E program. The program will be open to the general public sometime this year. To apply, please fill out the online survey and application.
More Information
If you would like more information on this program, please email c2e@watershedmg.org or call 520-396-3266.
Community Advisory Board Members
Chris Avery, Emily Brott, Leslie Ethen, Julia Fonseca, Mac Hudson, Kendall Kroesen, Michael McNulty, Joanna Nadeau, Melaney Seacat, Lisa Shipek, and Claire Zucker.
Background Information
The Tucson Conserve to Enhance Program is piloting the Water Resources Research Center's program concept, Conserve to Enhance. Their research discovered the difficulty of securing water for riparian restoration projects and reviewed some current efforts to link individual water users to environmental enhancement.