Tucson Water is piloting a new program at its Sweetwater Wetlands and recharge facility to cut down on excess vegetation that hinders its water reclamation system.
Hydrologist Jalal Mahmoudi says in a recent video: The new program is goats.
“We flood these basins with water every few days and we get a lot of growth in here," Mahmoudi said. "We thought rather than scraping it off with heavy equipment and heavy equipment operators and piling it up somewhere, let’s just get some goats out here to eat it and see if we can do this in a more cost effective and environmentally friendly way.”
He says the program may expand to other Tucson Water recharge facilities.
Using goats to help munch on excess vegetation has been used by other water utilities, including the Central Arizona Project in 2023.
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