‘One Water’ Awards ceremony shines a spotlight on Southern California’s leaders in conservation, commitment to finding solutions

Six businesses and municipalities throughout Southern California were recognized by the Metropolitan Water District today for their investments in large-scale water-efficiency projects that together will save more than 1 billion gallons of water over the next decade.

Metropolitan’s One Water Awards ceremony at the California Endowment in downtown Los Angeles honored organizations that used funding from Metropolitan’s Water Savings Incentive Program to make major improvements to their water management operations and equipment, such as installing smart irrigation technology, water recirculation systems and soil moisture sensors.

“The transformation of daily operations for these organizations translates into long-term, sustainable change for entire communities,” said Metropolitan General Manager Adel Hagekhalil. “Today’s ceremony demonstrated that when everyone does what they can to use less water, we produce real water savings that benefits millions.”

The following projects were presented with One Water Awards (click on links below for short videos on each project):

• City of Chino Public Works Department
  • Member Agency: Inland Empire Utilities Agency, San Bernardino County
  • Project: Installation of wireless soil moisture sensor systems at all city parks to identify leaks and manage irrigation more efficiently
  • 10-year projected water savings: 112 million gallons
• City of Huntington Beach Public Works Department
  • Member agency: Municipal Water District of Orange County
  • Project: Recirculation system to save water during fire hydrant flushing
  • 10-year projected water savings: 182 million gallons
• Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation, Arboretum & Botanic Garden
  • Member agency: Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, Los Angeles County
  • Project: Efficient irrigation system to maintain existing California native plant collections
  • 10-year projected water savings: 350 million gallons
• Rice Canyon Ranch
  • Member agency: San Diego County Water Authority
  • Project: Efficient irrigation system, high-density planting to save water during avocado-growing operations
  • 10-year projected water savings: 381 million gallons
• Ventura County Fire Department
  • Member agency: Calleguas Municipal Water District, Ventura County
  • Project: Mobile water recirculating system to reduce water waste during firefighting training exercises
  • 10-year projected water savings: 47 million gallons per unit
• Victoria Village Homeowner Association
  • Member agency: Western Municipal Water District, Riverside County
  • Project: Wireless soil moisture sensor system for common areas throughout the HOA community
  • 10-year projected water savings: 58 million gallons

“Drought and climate change have stressed water supplies across the western United States and require us to think differently about how we plan and manage our water,” said Metropolitan Board Vice Chair for Climate Action Heather Repenning. “The projects being recognized today showcase innovation and adaptation. These are the kinds of solutions we need to ensure a climate-resilient water supply for our region.”

Named for Metropolitan’s approach to water management that values and acknowledges that all water resources are connected, the One Water Awards program amplifies the success of participants in its Water Savings Incentives Program. The program provides funding to commercial, industrial, institutional and agricultural customers that make water efficiency upgrades to their facilities but may not qualify for Metropolitan’s standard commercial rebate programs. It pays up to $0.60 per 1,000 gallons of water saved annually through customized projects that are developed by each organization to fit its needs.

Since 1990, Metropolitan has invested nearly $1 billion in conservation programs, saving about 3.5 million acre-feet of water. An acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons, enough to serve three typical Southern California households for a year.

For more information on Metropolitan’s conservation initiatives and rebate programs visit bewaterwise.com.

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