Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership wins two 2024 WaterSense® Sustained Excellence awards

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today recognized the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership with two WaterSense Sustained Excellence awards – one as a Promotional Partner and one for the partnership’s Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper program as a Professional Certifying Organization. WaterSense honored its Sustained Excellence, Partner of the Year and Excellence Award winners during the WaterSmart Innovations Conference in Las Vegas. The Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership was one of 19 Sustained Excellence Award winners.

WaterSense, a voluntary partnership program sponsored by the EPA, is both a label for water-efficient products and a resource for helping consumers learn ways to save water. More than 2,100 manufacturers, builders, retailers, utilities, government and nonprofit organizations partner with WaterSense to produce and promote water-efficient products, programs and homes.

“More than ever, consumers and businesses are looking to conserve resources, cut costs, and reduce their carbon footprint,” said Veronica Blette, acting associate director of the Water Infrastructure Division in the EPA Office of Wastewater Management. “Our WaterSense Award winners for 2024 made it easy for Americans to make water-efficient choices and find WaterSense-labeled products and homes that save water, energy and money while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Since EPA launched the program in 2006, nearly 46,000 WaterSense-labeled models of plumbing and irrigation products have helped consumers and businesses save 8.7 trillion gallons of water; the amount of energy needed to pump, treat and heat water by 997 billion kilowatt hours; and $207 billion in water and energy bills. These savings also helped prevent 379 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, which is equivalent to planting 6.3 billion trees.

WaterSense recognized the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership for its water conservation achievements in 2023, including coordinating the partnership’s Dye Tab Challenge contest with the WaterSense Program’s Fix-a-Leak Week and a collaboration with Sonoma Clean Power and Sonoma County Library to make the water- and energy-saving DIY Toolkit available with tools, information, and water- and energy-efficient fixtures, including free WaterSense-labeled showerheads and faucet aerators.

To connect with residents across the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership’s service area, staff attended many events throughout 2023. The partnership tabled at the annual Fiesta de Independencia to promote water conservation programs to the Latino community in Sonoma County. During the 2023 Sonoma County Fair, the partnership collaborated with the University of California Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County to co-develop and sponsor a sustainable landscape display with a dinosaur theme, “Water Waste Leads to Extinction.” The display garden featured low-water-use native plants and WaterSense-labeled irrigation controllers; visitors could also learn about rainwater harvesting.

WaterSense recognized the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership’s Qualified Water Efficient Landscape Program (QWEL) for its continued excellence in educating landscape professions in sustainable and water efficient landscape practices. The partnership improved accessibility with classes and testing available in both English and Spanish.

To expand training opportunities for regional professionals, the partnership worked with Goldridge Resource Conservation District to develop and pilot a new QWEL Rainwater Harvesting module for Sonoma and Marin counties. The training introduced concepts in rainwater catchment system design and installation to complement the sustainable water management practices taught in the QWEL certification training. Forty-five landscape professionals attended the two-day training in December 2023.

“Our thanks to the EPA WaterSense program for recognizing the successful efforts of our region and for the continued collaboration in support of sustainable water use,” said City of Santa Rosa Mayor and Water Advisory Committee Chair Natalie Rogers. “The EPA’s WaterSense resources, including the branded national products and outreach campaigns, support the efforts of the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership by increasing awareness and improving accessibility to water-saving tools. Our partnership with EPA is important as we work to secure a reliable water future for all our communities.”  

For more information about WaterSense, visit www.epa.gov/watersense. 

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Media Contact
Stuart Tiffen
Sonoma Water Communications
(707) 322-1223
stuart.tiffen@scwa.ca.gov