Rep. Stanton Applauds Mesa As It Places First in Water Conservation Contest

Representative Greg Stanton is pleased with Mesa residents' recent big win in a nationwide water-saving contest.

The city had taken first place in the Wyland Foundation's water conservation challenge, beating out other cities across the country in their size category. Mesa competed against towns with populations between 300,000 and 600,000 people according to Mesa Now. 

"Big congrats to Mesa for winning the 2025 Wyland Foundation national challenge for water conservation," Greg Stanton said. "[The] community is showing what real leadership on sustainability looks like, and I'll continue fighting in Congress to protect Arizona's water and our future."

As the report informs, the contest ran for the entire month of April. Mesa residents made promises to save water in their daily lives, and those promises eventually had shown improvement. Altogether, they committed to saving more than 22 million gallons of water over the next year.

Residents pledged to fix leaky faucets, plant desert-friendly plants that need less water, and prevent water from running off their property. They also promised to do other eco-friendly things, such as turning off electronics when not in use and using reusable water bottles instead of plastic ones.

The effects have shown to be remarkable. Besides saving all that water, Mesa residents will also save over 6 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, prevent 76,000 pounds of harmful emissions, and get rid of 44,000 pounds of dangerous waste properly. They'll also avoid using more than 14,000 plastic water bottles.

As a reward for their hard work, all participants have the opportunity to win up to $3,000 to help cover their utility bills.

A shortage of water is a serious problem in Arizona and other western states. Because of drought and excessive use, the Colorado River, which provides water to millions of people, has been reducing for years.

Reported by UCLA, many states, such as Nevada, recycle up to 85% of their wastewater, and Arizona recycles 52%, many western states recycle only about 26% on average. That's why local efforts like Mesa's matter so much.

Mesa's success shows that when communities work together, they can make a real difference in protecting water for the future.