For the fourth time since its formation in 2018, SCV Water has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with a WaterSense Excellence Award. SCV Water was presented with a 2023 WaterSense Excellence in Promoting the EPA Multifamily Water Score award for its Multifamily Apartment Program, a data-driven program developed to improve water efficiency in multifamily housing in the Santa Clarita Valley.

“It is a tremendous honor to win our fourth WaterSense Excellence Award in the last five years,” said SCV Water Sustainability Manager Matt Dickens. “It is a testament to not just SCV Water’s commitment to efficiency, but also the work being done by our community partners and customers to make conservation a California way of life.”

In recognition of its commitment to promoting WaterSense and water efficiency in 2022, SCV Water was honored in a ceremony during the WaterSmart Innovations (WSI) Conference in Las Vegas on October 5, 2023, alongside 46 other awardees – utilities, manufacturers, builders, retailers and other organizations that partner with WaterSense to promote water-efficient products, homes and programs.

“This year’s WaterSense Award Winners are helping American families save money on their water bills while conserving our precious water resources,” said Radhika Fox, EPA assistant administrator for water in a press release. “As climate stress continues to affect communities across the country, prioritizing water efficiency in partnership with manufacturers, homebuilders and families is essential to protecting our water for generations to come.”

SCV Water’s Multifamily Apartment Program was started in 2018 and continued in 2022, using the EPA’s Portfolio Manager Water Score tool. The Agency collected water-use and property data for approximately 90% of multifamily developments in the Santa Clarita Valley to generate a water score for each. This score and the overall volume of water used at each property were used to identify those where the most water savings could be achieved.
Staff then worked with property owners to highlight key areas of focus to achieve these savings.

In addition to saving water, properties – and families – were able to lower their water bills as a result. Using meter data, SCV Water staff verified that approximately 107 million gallons of water were conserved in 2022 as a result of device retrofits, toilet installations and leak repairs, and confirmed that 280 million gallons have been saved since the implementation of Phases I, II and III of the Multifamily Apartment Program.

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About WaterSense and the WaterSense Awards:

WaterSense, a voluntary partnership program sponsored by the EPA, is both a label for water-efficient products, programs, and homes and a resource for helping consumers learn ways to save water. Since 2006, more than 2,100 WaterSense partners have helped consumers and businesses save 7.5 trillion gallons of water and $171 billion on consumer utility bills. WaterSense Award winners demonstrate their commitment to saving water by producing, building, and promoting labeled products and homes that are independently certified to use less water and perform well, as well as offering certification programs for water-smart irrigation professionals. For more information about WaterSense Awards, visit https://www.epa.gov/watersense/watersenseawards.

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About SCV Water:

The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency (SCV Water) is a full-service regional water agency located in the Santa Clarita Valley. SCV Water provides water service to approximately 75,000 business and residential customers. It was formed on January 1, 2018, when local water suppliers combined into one integrated, regional water provider. More information can be found at yourSCVwater.com. For more information, please contact Kevin Strauss, SCV Water communications manager, at kstrauss@scvwa.org.