Stage 1 Fire Restriction Activated
Due to elevated fire danger, the City of Phoenix has implemented Stage 1 Fire Restrictions.
All consumer fireworks are prohibited within one mile of mountain preserves, desert parks, regional parks, conservation areas, national forests, and wilderness areas.
City of Phoenix official website
Phoenix's Drought Management Plan is active and a Stage 1 Water Alert is in effect. Stage 1 means an insufficient water supply situation appears likely.
Decades of strategic planning and community investment have built a strong foundation for water resilience in the nation’s fifth-largest city.
However, we recognize the growing pressures of climate change, prolonged drought, and regional water management complexities. A resilient Phoenix must meet these challenges with determination, adaptation, and collaboration. Water resilience depends on all of us, and requires collective action across our entire community. Phoenix Water has laid the groundwork through years of investment and planning, but our resilient future relies on everyone’s participation.
Learn more below about how drought impacts Phoenix, what the City is doing to protect our water future, and how you can contribute to Phoenix’s water resilience.
A Stage 1 Water Alert indicates a probable change in normal supply volumes, or, a water shortage.
This Stage calls for:
See below to learn more about Stage 1 in Phoenix.
Learn about our strategies for managing drought conditions.
Drought is a long-term challenge in the desert Southwest, but Phoenix Water Services has a comprehensive plan to ensure water reliability into the future.
Watch the most recent update to City Council from Director of Water Services Brandy Kelso and Water Resources Management Advisor Max Wilson
The Phoenix City Council today received a comprehensive update on the City’s water resources, drought preparedness efforts and long-term strategy to ensure
Building a water-resilient future is a shared responsibility. Phoenix has laid the groundwork with decades of planning and investment, but long-term resilience depends on the collective action of our entire community. Residents, businesses, HOAs, and institutions all play important roles as water users.
Here’s how you can help:
Drought is a long‑term reality in the desert Southwest, and historically low snowmelt in the headwaters of our regional and local surface water sources has increased the likelihood of future supply challenges. Because Phoenix’s surface water supply sources depend on snowmelt, reduced snowpack directly affects the amount of water available to the city.
Phoenix receives nearly 60% of its water from the Salt and Verde Rivers through the Salt River Project (SRP) and about 40% from the Colorado River through the Central Arizona Project (CAP). Only a small amount of groundwater (about two %) is used. Local impacts of global climate change have created reductions in the availability of these supplies.
Phoenix Water Services is committed to ensuring a reliable water supply today and for generations to come. Decades of strategic planning, resilient infrastructure investment, and responsible water management have built a strong foundation for adaptation in one of the nation’s largest cities.
The City’s long-term efforts include:
See the pages below to learn more about infrastructure, supply planning, and more internal projects that support smart water management.
The Drought Management Plan (DMP) guides Phoenix’s response to managing drought and water supply changes. Its purpose is to prevent water waste, protect public welfare and safety, and ensure responsible water use. Under Phoenix City Code Chapter 37 Article X, the Water Services Department Director may implement the drought management response procedure, including the DMP and associated Water Use Reduction Guidelines, when such actions are necessary to protect public welfare and safety.
The Drought Management Plan outlines four progressive stages of water use reductions:
The DMP and associated documents describe when, where, and how particular regulations within a water use reduction stage will be implemented and terminated.
Currently, no Phoenix Water customer may knowingly use or permit the use of water in violation of the drought management response procedure. If there is a violation of the drought management response procedure, the Director may take actions, including mandatory measures up to and including disconnection of service, and other enforcement actions as necessary to ensure compliance with the drought management response procedure.
The DMP is available to the public at the City Clerk’s office, the Department administrative offices, and on the City’s website.
The Director may declare a Stage 2 Water Warning when an insufficient water supply situation occurs due to water system or supply limitations or structural failure, or when a catastrophic incident limits the existing water supply or water delivery system.