City Of Joliet Partners With EPA's WaterSense Program To Promote Water Efficiency

Press release from the City of Joliet:

The City of Joliet has teamed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) WaterSense program to help consumers and businesses save water for future generations and reduce costs on their utility bills. WaterSense aims to decrease indoor and outdoor water use through water-efficient products and water-saving practices. The program encourages customers to look for WaterSense labeled products, which are independently certified to use 20 percent less water and perform as well as or better than standard models. WaterSense also promotes water-saving techniques and practices that reduce stress on water supplies.

“The goal of EPA’s WaterSense program is to help Americans save water and money by offering simple ways to reduce water use though water-efficient product choices and practices,” says Veronica Blette, WaterSense branch chief. “Using water more efficiently can help delay the need to create more supplies, saving communities money and resources, as well as ensuring that water will be available for future generations.”

The average family can save nearly 38,000 gallons of water per year by retrofitting its home with WaterSense labeled fixtures and ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances. If every home in the United States upgraded to WaterSense labeled fixtures and ENERGY STAR qualified appliances, we could save nearly 4 trillion gallons of water and nearly $40 billion in water costs across the country annually.

“The City of Joliet is excited about our WaterSense partnership,” said Allison Swisher, Director of Public Utilities. “It is important for the City to be a leader in water conservation efforts. This will allow us to provide options and opportunities to customers as we rethink water and embark on the switch to a Lake Michigan water source.” To learn more about the City’s alternative water source program visit www.RethinkWaterJoliet.org.

Product categories eligible for the WaterSense label include toilets, bathroom faucets and accessories, showerheads, flushing urinals, weather-based irrigation controllers, and spray sprinkler bodies. WaterSense also offers a label for single-family homes and multifamily units that use less water and labels programs that certify landscape irrigation professionals that have demonstrated their knowledge of water-efficient practices.

The City of Joliet offers a $100 rebate to water customers who replace a high-volume toilet (>1.6 gallon/flush) with a high efficiency WaterSense model toilet (1.28 gallon/flush). More details can be located on the City website at https://www.joliet.gov/departments/public-utilities/programs-projects/low-flow-toilet-rebate-program.

WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by EPA, seeks to protect the future of our nation's water supply by offering people a simple way to use less water with water-efficient products, new homes, and services. Since the program's inception in 2006, WaterSense has helped consumers save trillions of gallons of water and billions in water and energy bills. For more information, visit www.epa.gov/watersense.

James D. Hock

Interim City Manager

This press release was produced by the City of Joliet. The views expressed here are the author’s own.