Third annual event spotlights Southern California leaders in conservation
Four water-saving projects that showcase the value of collaboration in increasing water efficiency among diverse Southern California communities were celebrated today by the Metropolitan Water District at its third annual One Water Awards. Such projects have already helped the region reduce per person potable water use by 45% since 1990.
The awards highlight extraordinary accomplishments in conservation, including partnership, leadership, community responsibility and environmental impact. This year’s winners installed leak detection devices in affordable housing, expanded the use of recycled water in parks and schools, helped homeowners associations embrace water-efficient landscaping, and transformed the outside of a high-profile veterans organization complex with California Friendly® plants.
Funded by Metropolitan’s Water Savings Incentive Program, Turf Replacement Program, onsite retrofit program, and other public and private funding programs, the projects will collectively save more than 16 million gallons annually. But their impact goes even further.
“The honorees here with us today are remarkable not only for their dedication to saving water, but for the example they set in their communities,” Metropolitan board Chair Adán Ortega, Jr. said. “They are proving what’s possible – and showing how Southern California can rise to the challenge of adapting to a changing climate. That’s a vision Metropolitan shares.”
This year’s winners:
Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, Multifamily flow sensors & leak detection
The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles installed nearly 1,200 smart leak detection sensors across eight affordable housing properties. The devices detect leaks in toilets, and immediately send alerts to maintenance staff, allowing for quick repairs and significant water savings. The agency reduced water use by an estimated 10% in 2024, and the sensors are expected to help save 7 million gallons of water per year. View the video and case study.
Vallecitos Water District, Water-saving landscape transformations with HOAs
Through a collaboration with multiple agencies, Vallecitos helped a group of homeowners’ associations around Lake San Marcos in San Diego County replace thirsty nonfunctional turf with vibrant, drought-tolerant landscaping. The HOAs collectively removed more than 100,000 square feet of grass, saving 4.7 million gallons of water per year, serving as a model for HOAs around the state working to comply with new state laws banning nonfunctional turf. View the video and case study.
American Legion Hollywood Post 43, Water-saving landscape transformation
Located in a 1929 Egyptian Revival building near the Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood Post 43 undertook a landscape transformation to replace nonfunctional turf with water-efficient California Friendly® plants. The conversion saves 68,000 gallons of water per year and showcases sustainable landscaping in a historic setting that is highly visible to the public. View the video and case study.
Eastern Municipal Water District, French Valley Recycled Water Expansion Project
EMWD partnered with Temecula Valley Unified School District and Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District in Riverside County to expand the community’s recycled water system, allowing many more parks and schools to use recycled water. The project provides 350 acre-feet of recycled water per year – 114 million gallons – enough water to meet the annual demands of about 1,050 average Southern California households. At the same time, the partners removed 114,000 square feet of nonfunctional turf and replaced it with water-efficient landscaping, saving more than 5 million gallons a year. View the video and case study.
“The winners this year show what can be accomplished when the private sector and public sector work together, with the help of passionate leadership,” Metropolitan General Manager Deven Upadhyay said. “It can be daunting for an affordable housing provider, a homeowners association, a school district or a veterans organization to take on a major water-conservation project, even with the financial incentives offered by Metropolitan and our member agencies.”
Metropolitan has funded more than 190 projects through its Water Savings Incentive Program, generating an estimated water savings of about 1.4 billion gallons of water per year. The program provides funding to businesses and institutions that make water efficiency upgrades to their facilities beyond Metropolitan’s standard commercial rebate programs.
Metropolitan’s Turf Replacement Program has transformed more than 230 million square feet of thirsty lawns into sustainable landscapes – saving enough water to serve 78,200 homes annually. It provides rebates to homes and businesses that swap out their grass for water-efficient landscaping. For more information on Metropolitan’s conservation initiatives and rebate programs visit bewaterwise.com.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state-established cooperative that, along with its 26 cities and retail suppliers, provides water for 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.
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