The U.S. Army Fort Huachuca contracted the University of 

Arizona Cooperative Extension to provide comprehensive 

water and energy conservation awareness programs under its 

Water Wise and Energy Smart (WWES) program. Ongoing 

since 1998, this program provides outreach, education, and 

services to approximately 14,000 Fort Huachuca military and 

civilian employees and their families. 

Fort Huachuca is home of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center, 

Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal 

Command, Joint Interoperability Test Command, and the 

Electronic Proving Ground. The military base encompasses 

approximately 78,000 acres and just over eight million square 

feet of real property. 

Fort Huachuca is located at the base of the Huachuca Mountains and adjacent to the City of Sierra Vista near Tucson, 

Arizona. The area has an arid climate and receives an average 

annual rainfall of less than 16 inches, although a drought 

reduced the amount of rainfall in recent years. Groundwater is 

the primary source of water. Fort Huachuca pledged to reduce 

water consumption to a sustainable level through conservation, 

recharge, and reuse projects. 

Project Summary 

The Water Wise and Energy Smart program supports Fort 

Huachuca through three focus areas; public outreach, youth 

education, and services.

Public Outreach

Public outreach delivers briefings, presentations, displays, and 

publicity from program educators. Communication efforts 

provide information on ways Fort personnel can conserve 

water and energy. These efforts reach approximately 2,500 

people each year. Activities include:

FEDERAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Fort Huachuca Water Awareness 

Program

Best Management Practice Case Study #2: 

Information and Education Programs

• On-demand briefings to staff covering how to be water wise 

and energy smart; turf, shrub, and tree maintenance; and the 

rich biodiversity along the San Pedro River.

• Interactive displays for special events, including safety 

day; morale, welfare, and recreation festivals; Community 

Spouses Club membership drives; Water Awareness Month; 

and other organized events.

• Water and energy conservation articles written quarterly for 

the Fort Huachuca Scout newspaper.

• Public service announcements on the Commander’s Access 

Channel produced in cooperation with the Fort Huachuca 

Public Affairs Office.

• Informational Web site containing resources and materials, 

available at www.ag.arizona.edu/cochise/wwes/.

• Brochures and fact sheets on conservation, drought-tolerant 

landscapes, plant care, and post water policies.

rsed 

e

Energy Efficiency &

Renewable Energy

Energy Efficiency &

Renewable Energy

FEMP facilitates the Federal Government’s 

implementation of sound, cost-effective 

energy management and investment practices 

to enhance the nation’s energy security and 

environmental stewardship.

FEMP acknowledges Alison Barrett, Fort Huachuca 

Water and Energy Conservation Education, for 

supporting this program and case study.

Photo credit: PIX16682

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Year

Million Gallons

Water Use at Fort Huachuca

Through innovative and wide ranging water conservation 

measures, Fort Huachuca reduced its water use more than 50 

percent since 1993.
“Where’s Wettie the Water Drop?” is another successful 

campaign co-sponsored by the Fort Huachuca Scout newspaper and WWES. The newspaper features a photo of Wettie, 

the WWES mascot, along with a water project. Readers guess 

what water conservation measure Wettie is demonstrating for a 

chance to win prizes, such as a five-minute shower timer, leak 

gauge, or other water saving tools. 

Youth Education

Youth education shifts student 

knowledge from general concepts 

to a deeper understanding and 

sense of personal connection 

to water as a limited resource. 

Three concept areas are covered; 

basic water science, aquifers and 

watersheds, and conservation. 

The program offers more than 30 

interactive water classes taught 

in schools on post and in Fort 

Huachuca after school programs. 

Staff typically teach 100 classes 

each year with more than 2,000 

total interactions with students. 

Some of the more popular classes 

include:

• Globe Toss: Students gain an understanding of water 

distribution and the limited amount of water available for 

human use as they toss and catch an inflatable globe and 

tally whether a designated finger landed on water or land.

• Life Box: Students brainstorm what all living organisms 

require to live: air, light, food, and water. 

For additional information 

please contact:

EERE Information Center

1-877-EERE-INF (1-877-337-3463)

www.eere.energy.gov/informationcenter

Printed with a renewable-source ink on paper 

containing at least 50% wastepaper, including 

10% post consumer waste.

Prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory 

(PNNL) and the National Renewable Energy 

Laboratory (NREL), national laboratories of the 

U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy 

Efficiency and Renewable Energy; NREL is operated 

by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

Prepared by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC

New version/bitmap logo/and outline type

A student participates in 

water conservation lessons 

about the San Pedro River 

near Fort Huachuca

Photo credit: PIX16685

• Water History Trunk: Students examine antique items 

involved in procuring and using water while discussing their 

functions and connection to water conservation measures.

• Create-A-Watershed: Students demonstrate the movement of 

water through a watershed by creating a three-dimensional 

model using crumpled paper, water soluble markers, and 

spray bottles. 

• EnviroScape©: Students interact with a topographic model 

that demonstrates the connection between land use activities 

and groundwater. Additional information is available on 

EnvrioScape at http://www.enviroscapes.com/.

• Snap, Crackle, and Pop: Students define energy and its 

different forms and then create their own miniature “lightning” through a static electricity activity. 

Services

WWES services range from assessing post irrigation systems to 

developing drought-resistant landscapes to offering assistance 

on housing turf and plant care. However, the core element of 

WWES is a free water audit service for commercial facilities 

focusing primarily on existing fixtures and efficiency improvements. Audits also identify system leaks whenever possible.

Efficiency improvement recommendations are made to the 

facility manager during the audit. Some changes, such as 

exchanging faucet aerators, are often done at the time of the 

audit while other modifications are requested by the facility 

manager through service or work orders. Following the audit, 

WWES provides the facility manager a written summary. 

WWES conducted 82 facility audits leading to the replacement 

of high water use fixtures with more efficient urinals, toilets, 

sink aerators, and showerheads. 

Cost and Savings Summary

The annual budget for WWES is approximately $48,000, which 

includes salaries and benefits for two part-time instructional 

specialists managing the program, educational materials, 

supplies, publications, and professional development. While it 

was not possible to quantify the specific amount of water saved 

in terms of dollars spent on outreach and education, WWES 

efforts contribute significantly to an increase in conservation 

awareness. Efforts also facilitate active participation in water 

saving efforts and have led to a number of facility retrofits 

through the water audit program. 

As stated by Fort Huachuca hydrologist Tom Runyon who 

oversees the WWES program, “WWES is at the heart of our 

efforts to raise water conservation awareness and improve 

water use efficiency post wide.”

Wettie the Water Drop stands at the Fort Huachuca main gate.

Photo credit: PIX16684

DOE/GO-102009-2931 • Revised February 2010