Water conservation efforts in Arizona have produced impressive results over the last several years.

The results of Tucson’s water conservation program released in an annual report show more than 1.6 billion gallons of water savings since its inception nine years ago.

Use of renewable Colorado River water, recycled water for irrigation and the development of rebate programs like rainwater harvesting have all contributed to savings.

As a result, Tucson residents are now using water at the same level they used in 1985, while population has increased by more than 226,000 and service connections have increased by more than 75,000.

By contrast, Phoenix's average per person water usage dropped 25 percent from 1994 through 2013, in spite of a 30 percent increase in population during that timeframe.