2018 WaterSense
Excellence Award Winners
re Saving for Our Future
For a dozen years, WaterSense and its more than 1,900 partners have been
transforming the market for water-efficient products, homes, and services. By
offering simple ways to reduce water use, WaterSense helps Americans save water for
future generations. Through the end of 2017, WaterSense had helped Americans save
a total of 2.7 trillion gallons of water and more than $63.8 billion in water and energy
bills. These savings could not be realized without the innovation and commitment of
WaterSense partners.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is pleased to recognize eight
Excellence Award winners for helping to advance specific aspects of the WaterSense
program in 2017.
EXCELLENCE IN OUTREACH AND EDUCATION
City of Durham (North Carolina) Water Management
Three-time Excellence Award winner City of Durham Water Management had another excellent
year of education and outreach. Many participants in each of 312 residential and commercial water
use assessments received free WaterSense labeled showerheads and water-saving tips. During
Fix a Leak Week in March, a banner was hung inside City Hall, materials were distributed to local
students, and the department partnered with Lowe's Home Improvement to offer conservation
clinics to more than 100 residents. The City also created and posted three YouTube videos on
finding and fixing common household leaks. To promote WaterSense labeled toilets, the City spread
the word about its WaterSense labeled toilet rebate program and rebated over 700 WaterSense
labeled models. Additionally, the department held pop-up events throughout the city to promote
WaterSense's Shower Better and Better Bathroom campaigns and distributed over 200 WaterSense labeled
showerheads. The City of Durham participated in the 2017 Wyland National Mayor's Challenge for Water
Conservation. To get residents to accept the challenge, the City ran television and online ads that featured
WaterSense and had nearly two million impressions. These efforts led to success, as Durham ranked sixth
nationwide in the Challenge among cities of a similar size!
Sacramento (California) Suburban Water District
Over the course of 2017, Sacramento Suburban Water District (SSWD) made the
promotion of WaterSense a primary initiative of its conservation and communications
campaigns. SSWD used a variety of communications channels to promote water
conservation and WaterSense. For Fix a Leak Week, SSWD ran full-page ads in local
newspapers and geo-targeted ads on Facebook and various websites through the
Google Display Network. It produced an article on how to be a Leak Detective that ran
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PHONE (866) WTR-SENS (987-7367) WEBSITE www.epa.gov/watersense EMAIL watersense@epa.gov	&EPA
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2018 Excellence Award Winners Are Saving for Our Future
in a local paper and featured a story in its monthly bill insert, which is distributed to 40,000 customers. Fix a Leak
Week graphics were also printed on billing envelopes and promoted on the front page of the SSWD website, and
more than 5,700 residents received notification cards that they might have leaks in their homes. For Sprinkler
Spruce-Up, SSWD raised awareness through a combined online and print advertising campaign, newspaper
articles, in its monthly bill insert, and online In addition, SSWD partnered with a local park district to develop and
launch a new series of water-wise demonstration landscapes to inspire the public. The grand opening event for
the Gardens at Howe Park featured a ribbon cutting ceremony, presentations by local officials, and a display of
water-efficient irrigation systems including WaterSense labeled weather-based irrigation controllers.
City of Frisco (Texas)
With a variety of events, educational efforts, and workshops, the City of
Frisco reached more than 30,000 people with water-saving tips. For Fix a
Leak Week 2017, the Frisco City Council announced an official proclamation
and ran ads on TV screens in the library, City Hall, and in the public works
office building. Tips to find and fix water leaks were featured in the weekly
WaterWise newsletter with a reach of more than 16,000 citizens. The City
also attended a local health fair at a senior center and held two workshops
during the week educating attendees on how to find and fix leaks at home.
Frisco's staff conducted several workshops that provided participants with
step-by-step guidance on how to program an irrigation controller. These
irrigation workshops were so popular they were later adopted by Oklahoma
City and Fort Worth (Texas). For Sprinkler Spruce-Up, the City continued its
Free Sprinkler System Check-Up Program, performing over 3,700 assessments and demonstrating outdoor water
efficiency techniques that could reduce water use about 35 percent.
EXCELLENCE IN STRATEGIC COLLABORATION
Alliance for Water Efficiency
The Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE) continued its strategic collaboration with a number of
organizations to promote water efficiency and WaterSense, especially when it comes to outdoor
water use. AWE worked with WaterSense to provide a series of webinars focused on outdoor
water efficiency, which reached approximately 400 attendees in 2017. AWE partnered with
American Water, Rachio, and WaterDM to publish a report on peak day water demand that
highlighted how using WaterSense labeled irrigation controllers can shift loads and reduce peak
demand. AWE also collaborated with WaterDM on an analysis of Tucson and Gilbert in Arizona
and determined that the positive impacts of decades-long water conservation efforts, including installation of
WaterSense labeled products, were able to keep water rates significantly lower than if no water conservation
measures were implemented. Additionally, AWE collaborated with several stakeholders to release a U.S. and
Canadian version of an easy-to-use commercial kitchen guide designed to help managers make water-efficient
decisions for their facilities.
EXCELLENCE IN PROMOTING WATERSENSE LABELED PRODUCTS
Sonoma Marin Saving Water Partnership
The Sonoma Marin Saving Water Partnership (SMSWP) in Santa Rosa, California, won its
fourth Excellence Award, due in part to its commitment to promoting WaterSense labeled
products to both residents and businesses. During Fix a Leak Week 2017, the Partnership
sponsored a "sticky note" on the front page of Santa Rosa's The Press Democrat
newspaper. SMSWP worked with the Sonoma County Green Business Program, which
certifies local businesses for sustainable business practices, to distribute free WaterSense
labeled faucet aerators and showerheads during 115 commercial audits completed in
2017. The Partnership continued to offer free Water Smart Home Evaluations, providing
The City of Frisco performed free
home irrigation system check-ups for
residents during Sprinkler Spruce-Up.
Alliance
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Learn more at wateroff.org
Front page Fix a Leak
Week "sticky note" ad.
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2018 Excellence Award Winners Are Saving for Our Future
free WaterSense labeled showerheads and faucet aerators to more than 3,000 homes in 2017. SMSWP also
makes DIY Home Energy and Water Savings Toolkits available at local libraries for residents to check out. Each
kit contains items used to measure water and energy usage along with WaterSense labeled showerheads and
aerators for residents to keep. And through its rebate program and direct installs, the Partnership encouraged
replacement of more than 4,300 old, inefficient toilets with WaterSense labeled models in 2017.
EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
The Toro Company
The Toro Company received its third Excellence Award—and its fourth
WaterSense Award overall—for education and outreach efforts ranging
from scholarships for students to attend the Irrigation Association Show, to
sponsorship of the award-winning Water Zone radio show. The show discusses
water-saving outdoor practices and products to an ever-growing audience of 5
million people. In 2017, Toro increased its social media activity related to water
efficiency, including more than 45 posts on topics such as Fix a Leak Week
and smart irrigation. The company also participated in or conducted dozens
of training programs featuring WaterSense labeled products, reaching several
thousand homeowners and professionals. And the WaterSmart.Toro.com website
topped more than 1 million visitors since it was launched in 2015.
EXCELLENCE IN LABELED PRODUCTS IN THE MARKETPLACE
Hunter Industries became the first manufacturer to earn the WaterSense label for
irrigation spray sprinkler bodies. These devices regulate pressure to minimize outdoor
water waste in irrigation systems. Noticing that many contractors were reluctant to
install Wi-Fi-enabled weather-based irrigation controllers, Hunter also conducted
extensive research to understand the barriers to uptake of the products. Based on the results, Hunter developed
a new weather-based controller that better manages the needs of contractors with flow meter connection
capabilities, failure reporting, and daily watering schedule modifications based on local conditions. Several of the
19 WaterSense labeled models Hunter launched in 2017 were engineered with these water-saving features to
encourage best practices for irrigation management within the complex systems that contractors encounter.
EXCELLENCE IN CERTIFICATION PROGRAM GROWTH
San Diego County (California) Water Authority
The San Diego County Water Authority administers the WaterSense labeled Qualified Water
Efficient Landscaper (QWEL) certification program in its 950,000-acre service area. As one of
the first QWEL providers in Southern California, the Water Authority helped to greatly expand
the program's branded reach and educational outcomes. The Water Authority also serves as a
c	. member on the QWEL Advisory Board. In 2017, the Water Authority offered 12 classes for more
ban Diego County	J
Water Authority than 200 landscape professionals. Of these,145 were QWEL certified, bringing the region's total
certifications to more than 470 since 2016. Two of San Diego's 2017 classes were in Spanish,
and three classes were offered through local college horticulture courses. The Water Authority promoted its QWEL
training program in collaboration with landscape contractors, trade associations, faith-based organizations, garden
clubs, adult education, and English-as-a-Second-Language programs.
Toro received the Congressional
Recognition Award sponsored by
Ken Calvert for The Water Zone.
Hunter Industries
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Learn More
WaterSense congratulates all of the 2018 Excellence Award winners. For more information and to learn about
all the benefits of partnership, visit www.epa.gov/watersense.
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