Demonstration Sites

Demonstration sites create publically visible models of water harvesting practices while training the public in their implementation. All sites focus on capturing rainwater and greywater to irrigate landscapes with native and edible plants.

Please see more about our Tucson, Arizona demonstration sites here:

City of Tucson Ward I Council Office ; 940 W Alameda St; 520-791-4040; website
City of Tucson Ward II Council Office; 7575 E Speedway Blvd; 520-791-4687; website
City of Tucson Ward III Council Office ; 1510 E Grant Rd; 520-791-4711; website
City of Tucson Ward VI Council Office ; 3202 East 1st Street; 520-791-4601; website
Esperanza en Escalante ; 3700 S Calle Polar; 520-571-8294; website
Greenlots ; Northeast corner of Broadway and Country Club Roads; website
The Nature Conservancy ; 1510 E. Ft. Lowell Road; 520-547-3437; website
Originate Natural Building Showroom ; 526 N. Ninth Avenue; 520-792-4207; website
Rincon Heights Neighborhood, Feld Davis Pocket Park; Martin Ave and 8th St (se corner); more info
Santa Cruz Farmer's Market, Community Food Bank ; Northeast corner of Riverview Blvd and Speedway west of I-10); Sara Rickard - 520-622-0525; website
Tierra y Libertad (TYLO) Demonstration Residence ; 3649 S 7th Ave., 520-440-9392
Toltecalli Academy ; 251 W. Irvington Rd.; 520-440-9392
Tucson Community Food Bank ; 3003 Sth Country Club Rd; Patricia Rojas - 520-622-0525; website

City of Tucson Ward I City Council Office - Fall 2008/Spring 2009
	Focus: Reduce use of potable water for irrigation and increase native vegetation by capturing rainwater runoff on-site with earthworks and a cistern. Features: 5'x8' culvert style cistern (dry system) berms and basins native plants Partners: Sonoran Institute - Project partner and manager Tucson Native Plant Society - project partner Tucson Clean and Beautiful - plant and tree donations
City of Tucson Ward III City Council Office - Summer/Fall 2007
	Focus: reducing stormwater runoff through the use of a cistern and earthworks to redirect runoff and utilize on-site. Features: 5'x6' culvert style cistern (wet system) earthworks - basins lined with rocks removal of non-natives and replaced with native plants removal of asphalt to create large basins Partners: Bureau of Reclamation - grant funding Tucson Botanical Gardens - plants Jessie Byrd, Landscape Architect Southern Arizona Rain Gutters - discount on cistern materials and technical oversight
CIty of Tucson Ward 2 Council Office - Spring 2010-current
	Focus: promoting City of Tucson's Commercial Rainwater Harvesting Ordinance while reducing stormwater runoff through the use of a cistern and earthworks to redirect runoff and utilize on-site. Features: 8'x8.5' culvert style cistern (wet system) earthworks - basins, swales, and spillways to slow and infiltrate runoff native plants Partners: Tohono O'Odham Nation - grant funding received by Council office City of Tucson Parks & Recreation The Fairfax Companies - donation of mulch and excavation service
City of Tucson Ward VI City Council Office - Fall 2008
	Focus: reducing stormwater runoff by capturing roof runoff on-site. To shade and beautify property and right-of-way. Features: Rainchains direct rainwater into basins Curb cuts to capture street runoff Native plants subsist off of rainwater
Esperanza en Escalante - Fall 2007/Spring 2008
	Focus: residential greywater using a branched gravity-fed design to distibute among several basins that also capture rainwater runoff. Water harvesting system irrigates several fruit bearing trees and many native plants. Features: residential branched greywater design from laundry machine earthworks - basins and berms to capture runoff fruit bearing trees native plants Partners: Bureau of Reclamation - grant funding Trees for Tucson - tree and plant donations Church youth group from Massachusetts
Greenlots - Spring 2008
	Focus: rediscovering nature in the city through utilizing the capture of rainwater runoff on an undeveloped urban lot to enhance native vegetation. Features: a network of berms, basins, and raised pathways to facilitate water distribution and allow pedestrain access clustered rocks to promote native lizard species native vegetation to promote urban wildlife Partners: Ironwood Tree Experience - project partner Bureau of Reclamation - grant funding Nighthawks Nursery - plants Churchman's Sand and Gravel - 1 free load of rock catering service for Earth Day event Way Out West - Band at Earth Day event
Rincon Heights, Feld Davis Pocket Park - Spring 2009/2010
	Focus: Part of a larger neighborhood-scale project to retrofit an existing urban neighborhood with green infrastructure practices for the purposes of improving water quality and reduce flooding in High School Wash. Features: 5000 SF pocket park to increase native habitat, provide urban green space and public recreation areas Partners: Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (grant funding) Rincon Heights Neighborhood Association City of Tucson Department of Transportation Tucson Clean and Beautiful/Trees for Tucson
Originate Natural Building Showroom - Fall 2006
	Focus: mixture of earthwork practices to slow and retain water on site and cisterns to reduce stormwater runoff from property. Features: 5'x10' culvert style cistern (dry system) recycled farm cistern ~8'x8' (back; installed by owner) berms and basins with native vegetation (front and back of property) Partners: Bureau of Reclamation - grant funding Tucson Clean and Beautiful - plants
Santa Cruz Farmer's Market, Tucson Community Food Bank - Fall 2009
	Focus: berms and basins used to collect site runoff to increase native plant vegetation to beautify and reclaim site. Features: Earthworks to capture runoff Landscaping with drought tolerant native plants Reclaiming a deserted parking area without conventional irrigation methods Partners: Tucson Community Food Bank - project partner City of Tucson El Rio Neighborhood Center - site and maintenance assistance Tucson Clean and Beautiful - tree donation
The Nature Conservancy - Spring 2007
	Focus: mixture of residential and commercial practices to showcase a variety of water harvesting practices. Selected native plants attract pollinator insects and birds. Features: 4'x8' culvert style cistern (dry system) 6'x18' culvert style cistern (installed by Technicians For Sustainability) earthworks including berms and basins curb cuts (installed by Brad Lancaster and TNC) permeable paving (installed by TNC) Partners: Bureau of Reclamation - grant funding Desert Survivors - plants
Tierra y Libertad (TYLO) Residence - Spring 2009
	Focus: The TYLO residence is designed to engage local community residents in water harvesting techniques, permacultural aspects, and local food production. Features: 5'x6' culvert style cistern (dry system) greywater distribution vegetable gardens urban chicken coop native plants right-of-way curb cut Partners: Arizona Community Foundation - grant funding Tierra y Libertad (TYLO) - community partner
Toltecalli Academy - Fall 2008
	Focus: to engage high school students in rooftop and landscape rainwater harvesting to promote food production and native plants Features: 5'x10' culvert style cistern (dry system) network of berms and basins to capture and direct water runoff vegetable gardens fruit trees native plants Partners: Arizona Community Foundation - grant funding Tierra y Libertad (TYLO) - community partner
Tucson Community Food Bank - Fall 2009
	Focus: to showcase a large cistern sytem and earthworks to promote local food production in conjunction with the demonstration vegetable gardens. Features: 21'(h) x 12'(w) cistern (14,000gal) large series of overflow basins with native and edible plants food production gardens Partners: Central Arizona Project - major funding Resurrection Lutheran Church - major funding Community Development Block Grant - major funding Southern Arizona Rain Gutters - cistern installation