Pima County Regional Flood District Monthly Brown Bag Series
Speakers: Raye Winch, Community Food Bank; Flor Morales, SERI; Candice Rupprecht, Tucson Water
Date / Time: Wednesday, November 14, 12–1PM
Location: 201 North Stone Ave, 9th Floor
Tucson Water offers some of the best residential rainwater harvesting rebates in the country. The graphic below shows households that have received rebates (blue for passive, red for active, green for limited-income passive, black for limited-income active). The distribution of these rebates is similar to maps showing tree canopy, wealth, and surface temperature in Tucson — higher-income areas have more canopy, are cooler, and have taken more advantage of rainwater harvesting rebates. Tucson Water recognized the disparity in this distribution of installations and is supporting two programs to help address it. One is the low-income grant and loan program administered through SERI, which allows income-qualifying households to apply for an additional $400 grant and an interest-free loan so they pay no up-front cost to have a system installed. The other is support for the Community Food Bank to develop business relationships with contractors who are committed to providing low-cost, high-quality rainwater harvesting for people with low incomes through technical support and training. Learn about these programs to increase rainwater harvesting in low-income areas, promote climate resilient communities, and create dignified green jobs.
