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EPA Recognizes Athens-Clarke County for its Water Conservation Initiatives

The Athens-Clarke County Public Utilities Department received its third Sustained Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The county taught water conservation tips to children through educational activities and promoted water conservation at the annual Athens Water Festival.

Other initiatives included Fix a Leak Week in March, which used humor and magic to teach students how to find and fix leaks; leak presentations to nearly 400 hundred people; a commcercial conservation program, Certified Blue, which supplied 37 businesses with WaterSense labled products; and a panel on how to implement these resources in restaurants.

“As Athens-Clarke County continues to grow, it is the utility’s responsibility to ensure we maintain a steady supply of water for our community, said ACC Public Utilities Department’s Senior Planner Marilyn Hall in an EPA press release. “The partnership with WaterSense provides us a simple framework for our outreach campaigns. These are used as a springboard to promote conservation as an additional resource from which our utility and the Athens’ citizens can draw.”

WaterSense is a voluntary partnership program sponsored by the EPA. It is also a label for water-efficient products and a resource to save water, according to the EPA’s website, saving more than 3.4 trillion gallons of water since 2006.

“Our partners in Georgia are helping to transform the market for water-efficient, high-performing products and homes,” said EPA Region 4 Administrator Mary S. Walker. “WaterSense award winners are helping people save water and money and protect this resource for future generations.”

The Cobb County Water System and the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District in Atlanta were also recognized with a “Sustained Excellence Award.”

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