Tucson Water rainwater harvesting rebates
Tucson Water single-family residential customers may be eligible for a rainwater harvesting rebate. Your address must have active Tucson Water service before you buy and install a system. The city lists a maximum of $1,999 per property: up to $1,900 for storage and up to $99 for up to two new qualifying trees. Tucson Water says funding is limited and the program can change or end without notice. Confirm current amounts before you start.
Rainwater Harvesting RebateRebate applicationSteps before you build
First, take the required rainwater harvesting workshop with Watershed Management Group. Then submit your site plan with the online rebate form for pre-approval. The city says it replies within 2 to 4 weeks. If approved, install your system and schedule a site visit within one year of approval. After you install, you upload a W-9 and your receipts or invoices before the site visit.
Sign up for a workshopWhat your site plan must show
Tucson Water asks for a clearly labeled site plan. It must show the roof areas you will collect from, with square-foot totals. It must show each tank's location and size, and each basin, numbered and measured. It must show gutters, water flow arrows, and where the front of the property is. It must also show how the water will be used, such as the trees and plants it waters. Before photos of where tanks or basins will go are now required. Larger systems must water a set number of trees or shrubs.
How to Develop a Site Plan (PDF)Required Design Standards (PDF)Permits and pumps
Tanks may be subject to City of Tucson or Pima County zoning rules. Any pump-pressurized system needs a backflow assembly at the water meter, and the rebate does not cover that cost.
Free resources
Watershed Management Group lists its rebate classes as free. Tucson Water also offers a site plan guide, design guides, roof-measuring videos, and a gallery of example basins.
Design Best Practices Guide (PDF)Passive System GalleryYour optional Designscape plan
Want help drawing your site plan? Designscape can lay out roof areas, tanks, basins, water flow, and the plants your system waters. Our design-only plan costs $2,500, paid in four 25% installments of $625. Installation is not included. Hiring Designscape is optional. You still take the required workshop and submit the application yourself.
Questions? Call Claire at (858) 258-9595 or email support@designscape.com.