Sahuarita, AZ Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)

030(H) of the Sahuarita Town Code, titled Irrigation and Water Accent Features, sets the town's approach to reclaimed water. Paragraph (H)(1) ties all landscape irrigation to the Arizona Groundwater Code and the adopted groundwater management plan for the Tucson Active Management Area. Paragraph (H)(2) requires every introduced planting to be served by a water-conserving, underground irrigation system unless the planning and building department approves otherwise, and states that stormwater harvesting and drip irrigation are the preferred irrigation methods. Paragraph (H)(3), the reclaimed water provision itself, does not mandate use of reclaimed water; instead it directs that encouragement be given to using reclaimed water for landscaped and turfed areas, and requires a written statement or note on the landscape plan addressing the feasibility of reclaimed water, briefly covering cost-effectiveness, potential sources and availability.

Because the paragraph uses encouragement language rather than a mandate, a project can satisfy the code by documenting that reclaimed water is not cost-effective or not available, provided the feasibility statement is on file. 060, where plans are reviewed by planning and building staff for completeness and compliance before a development plan, final plat, or building permit is approved. There is no numeric percentage or minimum reclaimed-water-use threshold in the ordinance: the obligation is procedural, tied to what the applicant discloses on the plan rather than to actual water sourced from a reclaimed system.