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News Releases from Region 03

EPA Recognizes Water Conservation Leader in Virginia

City of Charlottesville Honored for Saving Residents Money and Water

10/15/2020
Contact Information: 
EPA Region 3 Press Officer (R3Press@epa.gov)

PHILADELPHIA (October 14, 2020) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the City of Charlottesville, Virginia, as a 2020 WaterSense Sustained Excellence Award winner for being a leader in water efficiency and conservation efforts. Nationwide, 29 awardees produced and promoted the adoption of WaterSense labeled products, homes and programs, which have helped Americans conserve more than 4.4 trillion gallons of water while saving $87 billion on utility bills since 2006.

The 2020 sustained excellence award is the City of Charlottesville’s third award, recognizing the City’s numerous community engagement activities with the Charlottesville Energy and Water Management Team, as well as City schools spreading the word about operational and behavioral practices that will advance water efficiency in public buildings and schools.

“Our awardees understand that water is one of our most valued and precious resources and are taking the time to educate consumers on how to conserve and save,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio. “These cost-effective measures save our environment but also help our communities. We commend the City of Charlottesville for taking the steps to maintain this precious commodity.”

“Clean, safe water is what our community expects and deserves,” said Paul Oberdorfer, Deputy City Manager of Operations, City of Charlottesville. “We are committed to be good stewards of our water resources. Charlottesville’s Water Conservation Program benefits from the support and partnership with EPA’s WaterSense program and appreciates the consistent and clear messaging tools that help us in our public education and outreach efforts.”  

Highlighted programs from the City of Charlottesville include:

  • Providing more than 250 toilet rebates estimated to save more than 2.3 million gallons of water a year;
  • Promoting water savings on social media with its weekly #WaterTipWednesday to highlight conservation tips and WaterSense information;
  • Launching the Energy and Water Management Program, which promotes saving water and installing WaterSense labeled products in City buildings;
  • Distributing water saving fixtures to City residents including over 530 water conservation kits with WaterSense labeled showerheads, faucet aerators, and toilet leak detection tablets.

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, which are independently certified to use at least 20% less water and perform as well or better than standard models, have been on the market since 2007. Today there are more than 35,000 labeled models, including products used in residential and commercial bathrooms, commercial kitchens and outdoor irrigation. EPA’s WaterSense program certifies homes with WaterSense labeled fixtures and features. To date, close to 2,500 homes have earned the label.

Learn more about the winners here:  https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/watersense/watersense-awards.