When trying to find budget cuts the community budget water is always a hot topic. If your considering switching to a desert landscape you may want to think again. The switch could cost the homeowner more in utilities from removal of shade trees. If the option is a $10.00 increase in dues or a desert landscape an increase in dues may be the cheaper option. Just having affordable dues isn't enough to make a home desirable, the utility bills are also hot on the list of home buyers.

You should consider that the community water bill does more than just serve a water for grass. It's water for the land, which is more than just something to look at. It a place for pets to do their business comfortably and owners to pick it up easily. Older animals can have hip, muscle, and tendon problems making it difficult for them to get into position on a desert landscaping. It also serves for a place for kids to play. Grass is about as green as it gets and does not radiate heat at all. Making it cooler on buildings, plants, people, and pets. Granite rocks used in landscaping does radiate a small amount of radiation. An alternative could be to use white rocks and may cost more than granite. But is a more contrasting color than granite or flag stone chips and radiate less heat onto buildings and walkers.

The cost of water isn't limited to just watering the lawn; it's also the pool and hot tub. If your water consumption has been steady over the years, but the rates have just gone up then the problem isn't the landscaping consumption. SRP says that a 10,000 to 15,000 gallon pool is replaced yearly from evaporation alone. Take the number of gallons your pool holds and multiply that by the rate to find out how much that costs each year. I don't want to know how many times a year the water in a hot tub is replaced due to evaporation. Scary.

You may consider this; a pool is a luxury that can be removed. If an owner wants a pool that badly they can install one in their backyard and pay for the up-keep. This would reduce the water and electricity for the community. It also reduces liability that a pool can create. If removing the pool or draining it and closing it for a few years isn't an option. Here is some helpful information from SRP on ways to save money.

Reduce evaporation from your pool

Pool water fact: With more than 300,000 pools in Arizona, the water lost to evaporation each year is significant. The average pool contains 10,000 to 15,000 gallons of water and evaporates its entire contents each year.

Liquid pool covers

In the past, if you wanted to reduce evaporation or keep your pool warmer in the winter, you would have to roll out a cover made of plastic or similar material. This could be a difficult, time-consuming process.
Today, technological advances allow you to add a liquid to your pool to reduce evaporation. SRP has tested two types of liquid pool covers: one that is silicon-based and one that is isopropyl-alcohol-based. Both liquids form a safe, extremely thin layer of molecules on the surface of the water that reduces evaporation by 30% to 50%. Additionally, if you heat your pool, using a liquid pool cover will reduce both heat loss and energy consumption.
Cost: Liquid pool covers can be added to your pool for about $2.50 to $3.50 per week depending on your pool’s surface area and how frequently you add the product.
Where can you purchase a liquid pool cover? SRP has worked with two suppliers of liquid pool covers:

Isopropyl alcohol-based cover	Silicone-based cover
HeatSavr Discount Liquid Pool Covers 1302 W. Stottler Dr Chandler, AZ 85224 discountliquidpoolcovers.com	Aquatain Liquid Pool Blanket SunState Sustainable Solutions 1430 N. 27th Lane Phoenix, AZ 85009 (602) 484-7148 aquatain-usa.com

Remove hard water without draining your pool

What are the benefits of a liquid pool cover? Watch to find out.

Until recently, pool owners had no choice but to drain their pools when levels of calcium, total dissolved solvents or cyanuric acid, commonly known as stabilizer, became too high. Draining a pool is time-consuming, risky and wasteful.
Now, there are two companies in the Valley that can clean pool water using a filtration process while losing only a small amount. The companies are:

Calsaway
P.O. Box 13835
Scottsdale, AZ 85267
(480) 282-8599

calsaway.com

AquaLabz
2440 W. Medtronic Way, Suite B
Tempe, AZ 85281
(480) 894-8164
aqualabz.com