Water customers asked to go beyond saving at the tap

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The Northern Arizona Forest Fund, launching this year through a partnership between Salt River Project and the National Forest Foundation, aims to fund watershed-restoration projects through the donations of customers and other stakeholders.
The fund adds to an increasing number of consumer-based projects emphasizing that distant rivers and forests are the sources of water in the city.
The partnership will target Valley businesses and SRP customers to donate to two projects this year.
Individuals can voluntarily contribute online, said Rebecca Davidson, SRP senior water-rights analyst.
Both projects will benefit the Verde River watershed in the Coconino National Forest.
Metro Phoenix's water supply comes largely from canals diverting it for miles from rivers. Even farther away are the mountain watersheds, where snow and rain start the process.
Water providers have long promoted tips for conservation, such as trading lush lawns for desert landscaping or using water-efficient faucets and shower heads. But they haven't always helped consumers make the connection between the resource they use and where it comes from, said Kimery Wiltshire, executive director of the water-focused non-profit Carpe Diem West.
"(Water providers) are great engineers," she said. "But, for the most part, they're not great communicators."
Unlike conservation efforts funded by private groups or federal grants, watershed-investment programs often collect an opt-in or mandatory fee from water users. They focus on education to convince consumers that a little money can provide big benefits.
Preventing damage to water quality and infrastructure through reducing wildfire risk and rehabilitating roads and trails near watersheds is important for customers downstream, Davidson said.
As part of the Northern Arizona Forest Fund, the Upper Beaver Creek Forest Health Project aims to thin about 150 acres and use prescribed fire on about 1,000 acres this year at a cost of about $300,000.
The Oak Creek Erosion Control Project will take about $200,000 to improve drainage and rehabilitate the ecosystem where sediment is hurting water quality.
Both projects have been approved under the National Environmental Policy Act but don't have federal funding to move forward, Davidson said.
"We obviously have a huge stake in what's going on," she said. "But so does everyone in the Valley."
Northern Arizona residents are already funding these types of programs with a unique initiative, Wiltshire said. In 2012, voters approved a $10million bond for the Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project to reduce wildfire and post-fire flooding risks near the city.
More common are measures led by cities, water suppliers or heavy water users such as resorts.
Several projects in the region work with the National Forest Foundation, but the Northern Arizona Forest Fund will be its largest watershed project, the foundation's Marcus Selig said. One feature of the fund will be volunteer opportunities in the area.
"Doing work on the ground is the best way to connect someone to the value of a resource," Selig said. "It has the largest impact."
Those tangible efforts are crucial in promoting overall water-conservation goals, said Sandra Postel, director of the Global Water Policy Project.
Postel helped start the Change the Course project, which is focusing on the Colorado River.
Project participants can take a free online pledge to reduce their water footprints. For every pledge taken, the project vows to return 1,000 gallons of water to a depleted part of the Colorado River Basin.
Corporate sponsors then fund conservation projects, which have included installing an automated irrigation headgate on the Verde River in partnership with the Nature Conservancy.
"It's all about building water stewardship," Postel said. "Ultimately, the objective is to fundamentally change the way we use and value water."

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