28% of Total Pumping - A Major Drain on Aquifer
Throughout the PrAMA people use water during the warmer months for lawns, shrubs, trees, gardens, and other outdoor uses. This is called landscape water use, and it cannot be recovered into a wastewater system. Water used outdoors evaporates and cannot be recharged. As a result, landscape water use accounts for a substantial proportion of the overdraft. This graph shows the monthly average groundwater pumping by the City of Prescott. This pattern of use is typical for all the municipalities in the PrAMA. 
The base use, shown in blue, is the average of the monthly pumping during the winter months when outdoor water use is minimal. Winter base use represents indoor water usage through the entire year. Seasonal use during March - November averages 28% of Prescott's total annual groundwater pumping. In fact, in the month of June, total Prescott water use doubles as landscape watering reaches a peak. If you have a xeriscaped landscape using drought-tolerant plants or live in an apartment, you would not experience this seasonal water use.
Residential and commercial users can easily reduce landscape water use. Some approaches are discussed in the Conservation section of this web site.