The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized Citrus County with a third WaterSense Sustained Excellence Award for its dedication to helping consumers save water and promoting WaterSense and water efficiency throughout 2020.

Citrus County Wins 2021 WaterSense® Sustained Excellence Award

The award was announced during the WaterSmart Innovations (WSI) Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas, along with 33 other utilities, manufacturers, builders, retailers, and other organizations that partner with WaterSense to promote water-efficient products, homes, and programs.

WaterSense, a voluntary partnership program sponsored by EPA, is both a label for water-efficient products and homes and a resource for helping consumers learn ways to save water. Since the program started in 2006, WaterSense labeled products have helped consumers and businesses save 5.3 trillion gallons of water—enough water to supply all households in the United States with water for 200 days! In addition to water savings, WaterSense has helped reduce the amount of energy needed to heat, pump, and treat water by 603 billion kilowatt hours and save $108 billion in water and energy bills.

“In 2020, our WaterSense partners continued to make saving water possible by educating consumers and businesses about WaterSense and water-efficient behaviors,” said Veronica Blette, the WaterSense program manager. “Our award winners’ creative and committed approaches to water conservation helped consumers save water, energy, and money on their utility bills at a time when they needed it most.” Blette will remotely join the October 26, 2021 Citrus County Board of County Commissioners meeting to present the award.

WaterSense honored Citrus County as a 2021 Sustained Excellence Award winner for its dedication to promoting WaterSense campaigns and water-saving education and outreach. The County kicked off Fix a Leak Week in March at the Shrimpapalooza festival, where children decorated water-shaped masks and parents received toilet leak information and free leak detection tablets. Leak detection continued during the County’s sixth annual classroom toilet leak detection challenge, where elementary classrooms tested more than 100 toilets and identified leaks for potential savings of more than 3,000 gallons of water per day.

Education continued throughout the year, including WaterSense labeled showerhead giveaways and customer irrigation system training. The County also collaborated with the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Withlacoochee Regional Water Supply Authority on an Irrigation Evaluation Initiative, helping complete nearly 80 evaluations and installation of WaterSense labeled irrigation controllers.

“Citrus County is grateful for its continued partnership with the Water Sense program and local partners Southwest Florida Water Management District and Withlacoochee Regional Water Supply Authority,” said Ken Cheek, Citrus County Department of Water Resources Director. “Through these collaborations and grant funding support, the County is able to extend its budget and garner the greatest water savings and water conservation awareness.”

For more information about WaterSense, 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.