Waterfluence for Mesa HOAs

• Learn how to reduce water use, save money and optimize sustainable watering practices.
• Use it for FREE thanks to a grant from the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona (WIFA). 
• A landscape water "budget" graph detailing the amount of water needed for your landscape (see how much you use compared to what you should be using)
• Get data based on your community's landscapable area, landscape characteristics, local weather, historical water use, and current watering practices.
• Coordinate with your landscaper by giving them access to Waterfluence.

You can only manage what you monitor! 

1. Have the president of the HOA sign up via the online application. The current HOA president must sign the document and agree to the terms and conditions on behalf of their HOA. 
2. You will receive a welcome email from Waterfluence directly with guidance on how to log in.
3. Once your HOA is added to Waterfluence, you will have the option to give your landscaper and community manager access to your water use data.

Please review the program requirements below.  

1. Report. Waterfluence will provide a report for each program participant’s site containing site characteristics, historical water use, a water budget range based on site characteristics and daily local weather during that billing cycle, customized messaging, and peer-based irrigation performance metrics.

2. Aerial map. Each site map will include separate measurements of irrigated grass, irrigated shrubs/trees, overseeded grass, and water features.

3. Contact info. Waterfluence and Mesa staff will maintain and manage site contacts to maximize program engagement.

4. Messaging. Mesa will send messages to program participants regarding other landscape programs, events, useful hyperlinks, or irrigation policies. Waterfluence will also directly message the HOA with updates.

5. Security. Waterfluence continuously maintains the features and security of its online platform software.

6. Authorized Representative. The HOA Board President is considered the authorized representative and will be given access to the Waterfluence platform via email login.

7. Additional Representatives. Each program participant representative will have access to view their site-specific information via the Waterfluence online platform. Representatives can authorize third parties such as HOA board members, landscape contractors and community managers to access their site information.

8. Agreement Length. This agreement will remain between Mesa, Waterfluence, and program participant HOA until the HOA terminates the agreement by providing written notice to Mesa.

9. Funding. Program is funded by Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona through a grant.

Please Note: Program is subject to change at any time. 

1. Fill out the online application. It must be signed by the current board president.
2. The president will receive a welcome email from Waterfluence that will provide instructions on how to create an account and log in for your HOA.

Once the account is created on the Waterfluence website:  

1. Consider adding your landscaper, community manager or landscape committee members under the tab called “People." An email address is required for each additional person you wish to add. 
2. Review the map of your property under the tab called "Map" and make sure it is correct. All areas that the HOA is responsible for watering should be mapped or there will be inaccuracies in watering recommendations. As an approved representative for your HOA, you can update the maps to reflect the correct information. If you need help, contact conserve@mesaaz.gov.
3. Review the guide, How to Read Your Landscape Water Budget(PDF, 161KB). This will help you to interpret your water use budget (recommended versus actual usage) on the tab called "Outdoor."
4. Take action! Identify any water use that is above and beyond the recommended amount and take action to correct the excess usage. For example, is there a leak? Does the controller need adjustment? Work with your landscaper to take the necessary steps. 

1. How much does this cost? The program is free to HOAs, thanks to a grant the City of Mesa received from the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona.
   
   
2. Why does the city offer Waterfluence? Waterfluence has been a proven water conservation tool in many parts of the country, including in the Valley of the Sun. HOAs have an opportunity to learn about and act on better water management.
   
   
3. It has been a hot and dry year. My landscaper says our water usage is high because of the weather and that Waterfluence is not accounting for the weather. Waterfluence uses real time daily weather from a local weather station through AZMET Arizona Meteorological Network (AZMET) and that information is included in the scientific calculations based on square footage and other landscaping data. For more information on how your specific water budget is calculated, go to the tab called “Map” on the Waterfluence website and scroll down to the part titled “Water Budget.”
   
   
4. My water meter is read on different days each month. How does that work with Waterfluence? The Waterfluence water budget is based on daily weather data exactly matching the days in the meter read period.
   
   
5. I’m a community manager. Can I register the HOA I manage? No, only the current board president as listed on the Arizona Corporation Commission for the HOA can register to join Waterfluence. That board president can assign access to others once they are registered for the HOA, including other board members, community managers and landscapers.
   
   
6. The map is not correct. How do we fix it? The registered user should be able to go to the tab for the map and click the button “Edit Map” to make adjustments. All maps will be reviewed by Waterfluence before being updated. Once it is updated, the water budget (recommendation) will be updated as well to reflect the proper size and landscape type(s) of the property.
   
   
7. Why is there a dollar amount on the “Outdoor” tab saying we have lost so much money? Note that this figure is not something you need to use as an exact amount. It is a reminder about how much excess usage occurred in the last twelve months. It does not account for any under-budget usage, so it does not indicate any savings when the water use was lower than the recommendation. 
   
   For example, if in March you used an excess above the recommendation of 100,000 gallons, your “Lost $” would indicate the cost of those 100,000 gallons. If you then used 100,000 gallons below your water budget recommendation in April, that “Lost $” figure would not go down to indicate the reduction in water use. However, if you have another month where you go over your water budget, your "Lost $" will continue to go up. 
   
   
8. Our HOA has more than ten acres of grass. What does that mean? You may need to contact the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) to determine if your property is a turf-related facility subject to conservation and reporting requirements under Phoenix's Active Management Area (AMA) Plan and ADWR requirements. See the AMA Industrial Program Rules and the Phoenix AMA Plan for more guidance. 

Use these ideas to improve your water management: 

• Read our guide on How to Read Your Landscape Water Budget(PDF, 161KB). This will help you to interpret your water use budget (recommended versus actual usage) on the tab called "Outdoor."

• Share the information with your landscaper. (You can provide them access so they can log in to Waterfluence and see the same data you are seeing.) They are an essential partner in your water management.

• Check your irrigation system for leaks(PDF, 322KB). Unintended usage costs money and wastes water. 

• Evaluate your irrigation controller: 

• How is the controller being used?
• Do you have a smart controller that takes weather and landscape type into account? Or is it manually adjusted?
• Does the schedule account for seasonal changes or is it left to “set it and forget it?”
• Learn about how much and how often to water with our interactive watering guides.

• Use these helpful guides from the Environmental Protection Agency to help you make better sense of your usage.

Take Action to Achieve Outdoor Water Efficiency

HOA Outdoor Water Efficiency Roadmap 

• Consider removing grass that is non-playable and difficult to maintain. Learn about our grass removal and irrigation equipment incentives.