Phoenix trainer outlines voluntary-first approach: education, incentives and the trade-offs of mandates
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Summary
In a Phoenix Water Wrangler training, Lara Van Lyth described three categories of demand management—voluntary, incentivized and mandatory—explaining advantages and drawbacks of each and saying Phoenix currently focuses on voluntary programs supplemented by incentives rather than enforcement.
Lara Van Lyth, a water resource specialist with the City of Phoenix, told trainees that conservation targets demand and that the city frames demand management in three categories: voluntary, incentivized and mandatory. Van Lyth said voluntary measures rely on outreach and education and are "very effective, cost friendly, and have long term benefits," though they can be slower to produce results.
She described incentivized strategies as providing "a monetary or developed reason to participate in water conservation," citing Phoenix programs such as grass removal incentives and smart irrigation controller rebates. Van Lyth warned that incentives are "hugely expensive" at scale even as they can yield large water savings.
On mandatory measures — bans, tickets and watering schedules — she said they can be effective in the short term but risk a "snapback" where compliance wanes or public resistance grows; she also noted enforcement requires significant staffing and cost. Van Lyth summarized Phoenix’s approach as favoring voluntary management and coupling education, motivation and inclusion because "we live in the Southwest and we don't like being told what to do."
The training clarified that voluntary programs are intended to be durable through behavior change, whereas mandatory approaches deliver quicker results but carry enforcement costs and potential public pushback. Examples Van Lyth used for incentives included toilet rebates, smart controller incentives and residential and non-residential grass removal programs.
