2011 Blue Legacy Award ~ Municipal Winners
The North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD)
The North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) has a commitment to raising water awareness and increasing efficient use of the finite resource of water. The Water IQ public awareness program has been beneficial for the NTMWD since it was first implemented to educate consumers about their source water supply as well as the effects of the on-going North Texas drought. NTMWD recognized that some consumers in the service area had no real knowledge of their water source. They also recognized that there was a crucial need to educate its consumers about the effects of the impending drought and consumers needed water saving tips to extend current supplies.
The NTMWD's Executive Director, Jim Parks, having served on the Water Conservation Implementation Task Force turned to the Texas Water Development Board's recognized water awareness and education program – Water IQ. NTMWD was the first water supplier in the state to utilize the Water IQ research-based brand and has continued its implementation each year since 2006. Since Water IQ's initial implementation, the public has continued to reduce wasteful water practices as evidenced by the lower-than-expected water consumption reported each subsequent year. The benefits of extending water supplies are not only critical during drought conditions, but also saves money, energy, and resources that can delay the need for acquiring additional water supplies.
Each year NTMWD's Water IQ campaign creative components are developed based on research results. The campaign involves several public education and public outreach components such as television and radio PSAs, website information and print ads. www.ntmwd.com
Fort Bend County MUD #25
The Fort Bend County Municipal Utility District #25 (District)is a small but rapidly growing district located in Sugar Land, Texas and serves approximately 3600 water and sewer connections. The District's wastewater effluent re-use program consists of capturing the treated effluent from the wastewater treatment plant and reusing it in landscaping and amenity pond applications. The project currently provides treated effluent to two users, Orchard Lakes Home Owners Association and the Houstonian Golf Club. From March 2008 through December 2010, the amount of reclaimed water used exceeded 423.5 million gallons.
Both the Orchard Lakes Home Owners Association and the Houstonian Golf Club use the treated effluent to maintain water levels in their amenity ponds and the Houstonian also uses the effluent for irrigation of their golf courses. By using the treated effluent these users do not have to utilize groundwater for the same purposes and the treated effluent was not discharged into Oyster Creek which has environmental sensitivities.
This is an ongoing project and the District is currently designing the necessary infrastructure to provide additional effluent to other users that would have similar water use applications. The District's goal is to eliminate the use of groundwater or potable water in amenity ponds and significantly reduce potable water uses in landscape irrigation. www.waterdistrict25.com