The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized the 2015 WaterSense award winners for creating, rebating, communicating and educating consumers about WaterSense-labeled products, homes and programs. These 17 winners and more than 1,700 other WaterSense partners have helped Americans save 1.1 trillion gallons of water and $21.7 billion in water and energy bills since 2006.

WaterSense announced the 2015 Sustained Excellence Award winners, Partners of the Year, and Excellence Award winners today at the WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"The EPA is proud to honor these WaterSense partners for making a difference every day in communities across the country,” says Ellen Gilinsky, EPA Office of Water Senior Policy Advisor. “With pervasive droughts on the West Coast and Puerto Rico and water shortages expected in many other parts of the country, these leaders show how water efficiency can make the country more resilient to the effects of our changing climate.”

EPA’s WaterSense program protects the future of our nation's water supply by offering people a simple way to use less water with water-efficient products, new homes and services. In helping preserve water resources, the important work of the WaterSense program supports the goals of EPA’s Clean Water Rule. Also, because saving water also saves energy, the program supports EPA’s Clean Power Plan, which will help communities save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

2015 Promotional Parteners of the Year:

• The City of Charlottesville (Virginia) promoted WaterSense labeled products through a variety of outlets in 2014, including its annual Fix a Leak Week Family 5K race, the Virginia Discovery Museum’s Kid*Vention event, Charlottesville’s Local Energy Alliance Program, and a new “Blue Team” of high school students who distributed water conservation kits door-to-door.
• Cobb County (Georgia) Water System’s promotion of every major WaterSense outreach campaign — including the H2Otel Challenge, Shower Better Month, Sprinkler Spruce-Up, and Fix a Leak Week — resulted in its fourth WaterSense Promotional Partner of the Year award. For example, during Shower Better Month in 2014, the utility gave 3,600 WaterSense labeled showerheads to retrofit all of the dormitory restrooms at Kennesaw State University.
• Murray City (Utah) Corporation’s Tap Into Murray quality campaign featured traditional media, along with a traveling event booth, to promote WaterSense labeled products and water-efficient practices to community members. The city also marketed its WaterSense labeled toilet rebate program with the help of local plumbers and plumbing suppliers.

Manufacturer Partner of the Year:

• The Toro Company focused on educating contractors and end users about properly installing and programming its WaterSense labeled irrigation controllers through partnerships with water agencies and the Irrigation Association’s regional chapters and distributors.

Professional Certifying Organization Partner of the Year:

• The Sonoma-Marin (California) Saving Water Partnership, which sponsors the Qualified Water Efficient Landscape (QWEL) professional certification program, accepted four organizations that adopted the QWEL program and certified 200 new irrigation professionals in 2014. The partnership also updated and promoted a graywater training module.

Six Excellence Awards were also given to partners for their efforts in specific WaterSense program areas:

• Colorado Springs Utilities (Colorado) for Excellence in Strategic Collaboration
• Denver Water (Colorado) for Excellence in Promoting WaterSense-Labeled Products
• Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District and New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services for Excellence in Education and Outreach
• Municipal Water District of Orange County (California) for Excellence in Sprinkler Spruce-Up Activities
• Puget Sound Energy (Washington) for Excellence in Promoting the Water/Energy Nexus

Learn more about the 2015 Sustained Excellence Award winners, WaterSense Partners of the Year, and Excellence Award winners at www.epa.gov/watersense.