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Rinse Smart Brings Water Savings to Sedona
State Water Efficiency Program to Benefit Area Restaurants
-Sedona Daily 3/2007
 (Sedona, Arizona) - The Sedona WaterWise Alliance is joining with the City of Sedona Water Committee and the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) to help Sedona restaurants save water and save money.
The three restaurants at the Amara Creekside Resort are the first in the area to sign on to the Arizona Rinse Smart program. The program brings high efficiency sprayers to the restaurant kitchens – free. All that restaurants need to do is sign up. The ADWR does the rest. Once the old water-wasting sprayers are replaced by the new spray heads, the restaurant will see dramatic savings on their water use and energy bills.
Rinse Smart is part of the April Water Awareness Call to Action in Sedona. The idea came about when the Sedona WaterWise Alliance contacted Marjie Risk at ADWR about ways to conserve water. “It’s a great program for Sedona, so we’re rolling it out this April,” said Jawn McKinley, Chair of the WaterWise Alliance. “We’ll be contacting all the restaurants in the area, and visiting each on April 17th to install their water efficient sprayers. We expect everyone in Sedona to sign up. Why not? It saves money. It saves water. And it’s free!”
At the Cutting Edge
Margie Risk, Arizona Department of Water Resources, and Michael Rock, General Manager of Amara, look on as Elmer Aldino tests out the efficient Rinse Smart sprayer. The first installation in Sedona. |
At a recent Alliance meeting, John Bradshaw, City Councilman, made the call that got Amara Resort to sign on. Early in the morning on March 12, Michael Rock, General Manager of Amara Creekside Resort, was ready to install the sprayers in the kitchens of his three restaurants. “We like being cutting edge at Amara, and when Ramon Gomez, our vice president, heard about this, he was all for it,” explained Michael Rock. “Anything we can do to preserve this wonderful place, we’ll do. It’s a great opportunity to do something that’s right and saves us money.”
Councilman Bradshaw, a long-time water conservationist, was also there for the first installation. “It’s just about the easiest way I’ve ever seen to save water,” he said. He was joined at the mini-event by Anita MacFarlane and Doug Blackwell from the City Water Committee, along with Lee Hetrick of Arizona Water Company who also sits on the committee.
According to Hetrick, Arizona Water Company is committed to conserving water. “Water is a limited resource,” he stated. “Conserving water with programs like this saves us from having to drill more wells and build more tanks. We’re all for it.”
Marjie Risk is the supervisor of the Arizona Water Conservation Program. She explained that the Rinse Smart Program is a result of Governor Napolitano striving to create a "Culture of Conservation for Arizona" and her desire to have on the ground programs with the potential for measurable water savings. “The program is similar to the one that has been in place in California for several years. Their tracking reports show that, with a Rinse Smart sprayer in place, a medium-size restaurant can save an average of 50,000 gallons of water per year,” said Risk. “Less hot water used also means less energy used, and that means lower costs for the restaurant.”
How It Works
The program is very simple for the restaurants in Sedona. They will receive Rinse Smart materials and a call to set up an appointment from WaterWise volunteers. Then, they simply fill in the sign up sheet at the installation. A person from the water company shows up and swaps out the old sprayer for the Rinse Smart sprayer. It’s even easier than changing a showerhead at home. The new high power sprayer uses 1.6 gallon of water per minute, around 60% of typical sprayers. Its knife-edge spray also makes it more efficient at removing debris from plates during the pre-wash phase.
At Amara’s Gallery at Oak Creek kitchen, it just took a couple of minutes to make the change. Then, the new sprayer was ready for the ultimate test. Elmer Aldino was the washer on the shift that morning, and his response was immediate and positive. “It works better. I like it.”
For more information on Rinse Smart Arizona, contact Paul Charman at the Statewide Water Conservation Office, 602.771.8423 or pwcharman@azwater.gov. If you own or work at a restaurant in the Sedona area, expect a call and some materials on Rinse Smart.
April is Water Awareness Month
Along with the Rinse Smart campaign, Water Awareness in Sedona will feature more events and forums than ever before (click for complete April schedule).
Keep Sedona Beautiful will be hosting another Native Plant Workshop on March 31 at the Red Rock High School. There will be a forum on the Politics of Water with Tom O’Halleran, Lucy Mason and Andy Tobin on April 4 at the Sedona Public Library. There will be Sustainable Visions art exhibits, water conservation conversations, a water fair and exposition for students, and an entire week of events with the Hopi, called “Carrying the Gift of Water.” Look for schedules around town or stop by the Sustainability Resource Center displays at the Sedona Public Library.
April Water Awareness Month events are being staged through the Sedona WaterWise Alliance, a collaboration of organizations: Sustainable Arizona, Sedona Women, Institute of EcoTourism and ILX, Hopi Nation, Keep Sedona Beautiful, Sedona Public Library, Sedona Schools, Sedona Art Center, Black Mesa Trust, Verde Valley Birding, Sedona Visual Artists Coalition, League of Women Voters, Arizona Water Consortium, Gardens for Humanity, Flicker Shack, New Frontiers, Sedona Recycles, City of Sedona and others.
For more information on “Carrying the Gift of Water,” visit the Institute of EcoTourism website at www.IOET.org. To learn more about water conservation and to get your downloadable schedule of events, visit Sustainable Arizona at www.SustainableArizona.org.
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