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The San Pedro River flows north from its headwaters in Mexico, near Cananea, Sonora, Mexico. Over the years, the City of Sierra Vista has built a good relationship with the local government and residents of Cananea through the Sister Cities program.  In addition, whenever possible, members of the Upper San Pedro Partnership collaborate with private and public groups in Mexico on issues related to the San Pedro River.

1. Almost 60% of all active water mitigation in 2007 was achieved by the City of Sierra Vista.
2. As of 2007, more than 35% of all the water pumped for use in Sierra Vista (including Fort Huachuca) was returned to the aquifer.
3. Water conservation efforts aren't new to the City of Sierra Vista.  The City identified and began evaluating options to create a water conservation program in 1985—adopting its first water surface plan and ordinance requiring water saving plumbing fixtures in new development. 
4. Starting in 1999, Sierra Vista required waterless urinals in place of traditional urinals in commercial facilities; this ordinance included all new, remodel, and retrofit urinals.
5. All water features in Sierra Vista are limited to 500 square feet; this ordinance includes all artificial lakes, ponds, or other features that use water.
6. Use of turf is prohibited in new governmental, commercial, and industrial development.
7. Use of turf in the front yard of new residential development is restricted to no more than 200 square feet.
8. The City of Sierra Vista and the other members of the Upper San Pedro Partnership are committed to managing groundwater in a way that it can be “maintained for an indefinite period of time, without causing unacceptable environmental, economic, or social consequences.” Sustainability.
9. The City's water reclamation facility (Environmental Operations Park) returns more than 2,000 acre-feet of effluent water to the aquifer each year.  Since beginning operations in 2002, this facility has recharged 11,000 acre-feet (more than 3.5 million gallons) of water into the aquifer.
10. All new commercial and residential developments are required to reduce water run-off to match pre-development conditions.
11. To prevent water waste, City irrigation standards regulate watering on steep slopes in new developments, in narrow medians adjacent to curbs, and other problem locations.
12. To date, the WATERtight rebate program has encouraged homeowners to convert nearly 1,600 high-flow toilets to new, water conscious low-flow toilets.  During the past year, over 200 rebates were issued saving nearly 2,030,980 gallons of water.  Throughout the course of this program, the City has avoided over 45.25 acre-feet of water, or nearly 15 million gallons of water from being pumped out of the basin,  that is equal to over 45 football fields covered with 1-foot of water.
13. Each year, the City recharges more water than Fort Huachuca consumes in a year.
14. Water usage attributed to each person in the Sub-water basin is calculated as gallons per capita daily (GPCD).   Use by the City and Fort Huachuca residents is 35% less today than in 1990.  In 1999, GPCD was 217.  As of 2007, data shows a total of 144 GPCD.
15. Since 1999, pumping by the City and Fort Huachuca has decreased by 600 acre-feet, or 195 million gallons—despite a 40% increase in population.
16. In the past four years, over 13,500 acre-feet (4.4 billion gallons) of mitigation has been achieved in the sub-basin.  Data shows that of that 13.5k acre-feet, 11k acre-feet, or 80% of mitigation, has been achieved by the sustainability efforts of the City of Sierra Vista and Fort Huachuca.

Yes, with growth comes use of more water resources in our area.  The City of Sierra Vista is committed to creating a sustainable water situation so that the residents and their heirs can enjoy the unique ecosystem here in the San Pedro Sub-watershed.  Through City-wide government facility conservation and public education we hope as your government that we can help you keep Sierra Vista’s water resources sustainable and remember it’s “All About Water.”

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All data reported by the City of Sierra Vista on this website has been provided by the agencies and groups responsible for water management within the Upper San Pedro sub-basin and reviewed by the Upper San Pedro Partnership. All information is consistent with the information provided by those agencies to the USGS for inclusion in the 2008 Section 321 Report to Congress.