For the fifth year, The Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District has received the US Environmental Protection Agency’s 2022 WaterSense Sustained Excellence Award for helping people save water. It was given at the WaterSmart Innovations (WSI) Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas last month.

It was one of three north Georgia water organizations to be recognized at the conference; the other two were Athens-Clarke County Public Utilities Department and Cobb County Water System.

The North Georgia district, which includes Hall, Forsyth and Gwinnett counties, was honored for:

  • Promoting EPA’s Fix a Leak Week through a High School Public Service Announcement Video Contest where students demonstrated how families can check for leaks, save water, and reduce their water bills;
  • Partnering with Georgia Public Broadcasting to host Live Exploration: Georgia’s Water during national Drinking Water Week. The one-hour live televised and online event reached nearly 80,000 elementary school students, teachers, and parents in schools and homes across the state. Participants learned about Georgia’s river systems, the water cycle, the water treatment process, and how to protect and conserve water;
  • Sponsoring the Chattahoochee Nature Center’s Spring Native Plant Sale where participants received water-saving giveaways such as faucet aerators, toilet flappers, hose spray nozzles, and a WaterWise Landscape Guide; and
  • Proposing new efficiency requirements for new construction indoor plumbing fixtures and outdoor landscape irrigation systems to take effect in 2024.

Comprising 15 counties in the metro Atlanta region, the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District develops regional and watershed-focused water resources plans to be implemented by local governments. Plans help conserve public water supplies, protect water quality and recreational values, and minimize potential adverse effects of development on waters in the region and downstream.

Georgia is one of three states to mandate high-efficiency plumbing fixtures in all new developments – exceeding federal standards.

For more about WaterSense, visit www.epa.gov/watersense.