Building Smarter in the Southwest: Water Conservation as the New Standard

In the high desert, water isn’t just a resource—it’s the foundation of sustainable community building. Forward-thinking developers across the Southwest are embracing modern building and landscaping techniques that not only conserve water but also create healthier, more resilient neighborhoods.

Santa Fe, just northeast of the Sandia Mountains, offers a leading example of what’s possible. Over the past two decades, the city has cut water use per person to among the lowest levels in the nation, proving that growth and conservation can go hand in hand.

Designing Communities That Fit the Climate

Xeriscaping as the Landscape Standard

Traditional turf is giving way to landscapes that thrive naturally in the desert. Developers are specifying native and drought-tolerant plants—such as blue grama grass, desert willow, Apache plume, and yucca—that deliver seasonal beauty with minimal irrigation.

Large-scale conversions in similar climates show measurable results: ~55–75 gallons of water saved per square foot per year compared to turf. Even modest front-yard conversions translate into 5,500–11,000 gallons saved per home annually.

Smarter Irrigation

Drip irrigation, mulching, and microclimate design (using shade and wind protection) ensure outdoor spaces stay vibrant while dramatically cutting water demand.

Capturing the Rain

Even in arid regions, rainfall is a resource worth collecting. A single inch of rain on a 2,000-square-foot roof can yield over 1,200 gallons of water. In Santa Fe’s climate, that’s more than 17,000 gallons annually—enough to offset much of a home’s outdoor watering needs.

Developments are increasingly integrating cisterns and rain barrels as standard infrastructure, with plumbing designed to extend rainwater’s usefulness for landscape irrigation and, where allowed, non-potable indoor uses like toilet flushing.

Efficiency Built In

Water efficiency now extends beyond the lot line and into the home itself. Across our projects, the baseline specification is shifting to WaterSense-labeled fixtures and ENERGY STAR appliances, which deliver savings that can be measured city-wide:

• Toilets (1.28 gpf): ~13,000 gallons saved per home annually.
• Showerheads (≤2.0 gpm): ~2,700 gallons per shower, per year.
• High-efficiency washers: ~2,000–3,000 gallons saved per household annually.

Stacked together, these measures commonly reduce potable demand by 30,000+ gallons per home, per year—before factoring in landscape or rainwater systems.

Smarter Wastewater & Septic

In communities outside municipal sewer service, modern septic designs extend the same conservation logic. By combining low-flow fixtures with advanced dispersal systems (low-pressure dosing or subsurface drip), drainfields last longer, groundwater is better protected, and system maintenance is reduced. Studies show water-efficient homes cut septic inflow by ~30%, directly extending system life.

Why This Matters for the Region

Santa Fe’s track record demonstrates what progressive standards can achieve: per-capita water use reduced to ~97 gallons per day—well below the national average. For developers in the Sandia Mountains and across the high desert, these lessons offer a clear direction: conservation isn’t an optional upgrade, it’s the foundation of responsible growth.

Our Standard Moving Forward

As a development company, we don’t treat water-conserving features as add-ons. They are built into the DNA of every community we design. From the landscaping palette to the plumbing rough-ins, every decision is made with the desert in mind.

The outcome is measurable: homes and neighborhoods that save tens of thousands of gallons of water annually, protect natural ecosystems, and secure the long-term sustainability of the communities we’re building.

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-James Grage