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 cities of Plano and Allen, Texas, 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 city of Plano was recognized as a Sustained Excellence award winner, the highest level of WaterSense achievement. In 2020, the city hosted many remote events and webinars on landscaping and at-home water use, and celebrated 10 years of its residential water conservation rebate program. The city of Allen was recognized for Excellence in Education. The city used a variety of promotions and activities during Fix a Leak Week to show residents how to save water at home, and water conservation staff continued their popular Sustainable Landscapes series.
“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.”
“As North Texas keeps growing and thriving, conserving water becomes more important for all our communities,” said Acting Regional Administrator David Gray. “Plano and Allen continue to set the example for cities across the Metroplex for innovation and outreach on 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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