Four Agencies Recognized for Excellence in Water Management.

News Editors/Utility Writers

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 10, 2000

Four water agencies were recognized today for efforts to conserve water by the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) at its statewide conference in Anaheim.

ACWA presented its "Excellence in Water Management Certification" award to the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency, the City of Hesperia, the City of Santa Rosa and the City of Santa Cruz.

"No matter how small or large a water agency is, conserving water has to be at the center of any agency's long-term plan for serving its community," said ACWA Executive Director Steve Hall. "The award winners this year have made extraordinary commitments to conservation, and it's something the entire water community is able to recognize."

ACWA has been recognizing achievement in water conservation since 1985, when it established the Water Management Certification Awareness Program. In 1993, ACWA added the "Gold Star" component to the award, for agencies that improve upon conservation programs already recognized with certification. The City of Hesperia was this year's Gold Star award winner.

ACWA received applications from members who've pursued a variety of excellent strategies to conserve water. From shoring up groundwater basins to instituting plumbing retrofits, California's water agencies are at work on a wide array of creative methods to conserve our most valuable natural resource.

ACWA's biannual conference runs from November 8 to 10 in Anaheim. The next ACWA conference will be held May 9 through 11 of 2001 at Caesar's Hotel in South Lake Tahoe.

ACWA is a statewide organization whose 439 public agency members are responsible for about 90% of the water delivered in California. For more information, visit ACWA's Web site at www.acwanet.com.