S.F. North Bay Water Agencies Awarded EPA’s WaterSense Excellence Award for Water Efficiency Efforts

SAN FRANCISCO - The E.P.A. today declares the Sonoma-Marin (California) Saving Water Partnership (SMSWP) as a recipient of its national WaterSense Excellence Award for outstanding work promoting WaterSense and water-efficient irrigation practices. The SMSWP's Excellence Award was one of 6 given nationally.

"Partnerships like the one in Sonoma and Marin Counties can help Californians reduce their water use," said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA's Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. "Putting our collective resources together to get smart about how we consume water is critical to meet today's resource needs and those of generations to come."

As part of its efforts last year, the SMSWP-representing 10 water utilities in Sonoma and Marin counties-worked with local and national utilities and organizations to reduce water waste and make outdoor water use and irrigation practices more efficent. SMSWP provided guidance to these entities on how their WaterSense-recognized Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper plan could be used to certify irrigation professionals, making them more attractive to potential clients. It also conducted outreach to irrigation professionals directly about the benefits of labeled certification programs and WaterSense partnership.

As a result of their efforts, the partnership converted over 340,000 square feet of grass lawn into water-smart landscaping, installed 57 greywater systems, and helped local businesses save nearly 24 million gallons of water in the last year alone.

WaterSense, a partnership plan sponsored by EPA, looks for to protect the future of our nation's water supply by offering people a simple way to use less water with water-efficient products, new homes, and services. This year's award winners, along with in excess of 2,700 WaterSense partners, have helped Americans save 487 billion gallons of water and $8.9 billion in water and energy bills since the program's inception in 2006.

To learn more about the 2013 WaterSense Excellence Award winners, visit: www.epa.gov/watersense

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