It only rains about 11 inches per year in Tucson, Arizona and decades of historic mismanagement compounded the water scarcity problems, resulting in dwindling groundwater supplies and a mostly dry Santa Cruz River.

In response, this city in the Sonoran Desert became a leader in saving, reusing, and recycling water.

Programs to conserve water and reclaim treated wastewater are discussed in this episode by John Kmiec, Director of Tucson Water. Efforts to use recycled water to restore flows in the Santa Cruz River are shared by Luke Cole, who directs the river’s restoration for the Sonoran Institute. And local resident Brad Lancaster explains how he harvests rainwater for all his needs at home and spurred the use of green infrastructure to capture stormwater in the neighborhood.

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