FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 7, 2020
City of Charlottesville receives their sixth Environmental Protection Agency WaterSense Award in Sustained Excellence for helping the Charlottesville community save water and money!
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized the City of Charlottesville with a 2020 WaterSense Sustained Award, the highest level of program recognition, for promoting WaterSense and water efficiency in 2019.
The City of Charlottesville was recognized along with 27 utilities, manufacturers, builders, and other organizations that are making it possible for consumers and businesses to save billions of gallons of water each year as part of its Partner of the Year Awards.
WaterSense, a voluntary partnership program sponsored by EPA, is both a label for water-efficient products and a resource for helping consumers learn ways to save water. WaterSense labeled products, homes, and programs helped consumers and businesses save 871 billion gallons of water in 2019, along with the energy used to heat that water and money on utility bills.
“Since the program started in 2006, our WaterSense partners have made it possible for consumers and businesses to save more than 4.4 trillion gallons of water and $87 billion on utility bills,” said Veronica Blette, WaterSense Program Manager. “Our award winners in particular have gone above and beyond to make water, energy, and money savings easy for Americans.”
WaterSense Award winners demonstrate their commitment to saving this precious resource by producing, building, and promoting labeled products and homes that are independently certified to use less water and perform well. WaterSense honored the City of Charlottesville as a Sustained Excellence Award winner for a third year in a row and sixth year of receiving a WaterSense award. Highlighted programs and community engagement efforts by Charlottesville’s Water Conservation Program include:
- Issued 253 toilet rebates estimated to save more than 2.3 million gallons of water per year!
- Promoted water savings outside by asking “When is the best time to water your lawn?” in ads that generated over 150,000 impressions and nearly 400 clicks to the City’s Water Conservation website.
- Launched the Energy and Water Management Program, which promotes saving water and installing WaterSense labeled products internally in the City’s own buildings. The program also worked with Charlottesville City Schools to implement energy and water efficiency projects and education for staff and students.
- Distributed water saving fixtures to City residents including over 530 water conservation kits which included WaterSense labeled showerheads, faucet aerators, and toilet leak detection tablets.
“Clean, safe water is what our community expects and deserves,” said Paul Oberdorfer, the City of Charlottesville’s Deputy City Manager of Operations. “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.”
For more information about WaterSense and the 2020 award winners, visit www.epa.gov/watersense.
WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by EPA, seeks to protect the future of our nation's water supply by offering consumers and businesses simple ways to use less water with water-efficient products, homes, and services.
For more information about the Charlottesville Water Conservation Program, visit www.charlottesville.gov/waterconservation.
Media Contact
Jill Greiner
Water Efficiency Program Coordinator
City of Charlottesville
434-970-3877
greinerj@charlottesville.gov