The following press release was published by the US EPA on Oct. 13. It is reproduced in full below.
DALLAS – (Oct. 13, 2021) Recently the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District as among 34 WaterSense partners that excelled at helping consumers and businesses save water during 2020. Award winners include utilities, manufacturers, builders, a retailer, and other organizations that promote WaterSense labeled products, build WaterSense labeled homes, and operate WaterSense labeled certification programs.
The Harris-Galveston Subsidence District was recognized for the first time for Excellence in Education and Promoting WaterSense. The district reached 40,000 3rd-6th grade Houston-area students through its Water Detectives program, and transitioned many other programs to a virtual format to continue reaching students, parents and teachers throughout the pandemic.
“Using water more efficiently and more effectively can save money while also reducing energy needs, supporting ecosystem health, bolstering climate resilience, and strengthening our water resources for current and future generations,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “EPA’s WaterSense program is a fantastic partnership that has allowed Americans to save more than 5.3 trillion gallons of water and $108 billion on utility bills since 2006.”
“The Harris-Galveston Subsidence District showed determination and creativity to continue its strong education program even as in-person events have to be limited,” said Acting Regional Administrator David Gray. “EPA appreciates their partnership in teaching kids and parents about all aspects of the WaterSense Program and their commitment to using water efficiently."
With fewer in-person events and people spending more time at home, the awardees pivoted many of their outreach and education activities to ensure that water conservation could continue in 2020.
2021 Sustained Excellence Award Winners
The Sustained Excellence Awards are the highest level of achievement for WaterSense. They are provided to those partners who continue to exhibit Partner of the Year quality for consecutive years. Winners in this category have received from 2 to 6 Sustained Excellence awards.
2021 WaterSense Partners of the Year
The Partner of the Year awards go to those WaterSense partners who have achieved success in all of the judging categories for the year – including strategic collaboration, education and outreach, and promoting WaterSense labeled products and programs.
Excellence Awards
More information about the 2021 WaterSense Award winners is available at https://www.epa.gov/watersense/watersense-awards.
Background
WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by EPA, seeks to protect the future of the nation’s water supply by offering Americans a simple way to use less water with water-efficient products, homes, and services. WaterSense labeled products are independently certified to use 20 percent less water and perform as well or better than standard models. The program was launched in 2006, and today there are more than 36,000 labeled models of toilets, faucets/faucet accessories, showerheads, irrigation controllers, and spray sprinkler bodies.
Connect with EPA Region 6:
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eparegion6
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/EPAregion6
Activities in EPA Region 6: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-6-south-central
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Source: US EPA
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