Today at the Miami-Dade County Commission Meeting, Audubon Florida awarded Miami-Dade County and the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department the second annual Excellence in Water Conservation Award.
The Excellence in Water Conservation award celebrates outstanding dedication for caring for Florida’s water resources and promoting water conservation for the environment.
“One of the most important things we can do for the Everglades is to conserve water” said Eric Draper, Executive Director of Audubon Florida. "Miami-Dade County’s water conservation program, “Use Less”, under the leadership of Doug Yoder, exemplifies this commitment to water conservation through quantifiable results."
In sheer volume, Miami-Dade County’s reduction of water usage as a result of conservation has been outstanding. Residents and visitors in Miami-Dade County have helped conserve an estimated 10 million gallons per day, exceeding the water savings goal by 39% since the implementation of the 20 year water conservation plan in 2007. Miami-Dade’s county program also sets longer term goals. By 2017, the county projects they will save 14.25 million gallons of water per day.
To accomplish these reductions, Miami-Dade County implements a multi-tiered approach, providing incentives to homeowners and businesses, education and outreach, and watering restrictions. The program has saved millions of dollars in the process by avoiding the need to construct new water facilities.
Miami-Dade County walks the walk when it comes to water conservation. The Parks department, in partnership with IBM, is piloting a project to track and analyze water usage on their lands to help decrease water usage from landscape irrigation. The Internal Services Department has done retrofits and installed other water savings devices on county properties. These water savings are in addition to the 10 million gallons per day savings figure.
Audubon's Jane Graham presented the award to Director John Renfrow and Commissioner Zapata. She was joined by South Florida Water Management District Chief of Staff Dan DeLisi, who gave a few words in support of the award and the importance of water conservation. Tropical Audubon Society Executive Director Laura Reynolds was feeling under the weather but joined us in spirit celebrating Miami-Dade County's accomplishment.
We congratulate Miami-Dade County for their continued efforts to conserve water. Conserving water in Miami means conserving water for the Everglades. Keep up the good work Miami-Dade.
