MIAMI -- Summers in South Florida can be brutal with scorching temperatures, dry landscape and brush fires, which also leads to more water consumption.
In an effort to conserve water, the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board announced the awarding of 17 grants, valued at $400,000.The grants will go to support local water conservation retrofit projects under the Water Savings Incentive Program
"Water conservation initiatives such as WaterSIP help protect and stretch our limited water resources," said SFWMD Governing Board Chairman Eric Buermann. "In our growing state, saving water is becoming a year-round way of life rather that a temporary inconvience," he added.
"WaterSIP" was established in 2002 to help fund technology-based conservation projects that help reduce water use.
The SFWMD cost shares local community projects, such as rain sensor installations, water-saving automated fire hydrant flushing devices, irrigation system retrofits and low-flow showerhead exchanges.
"Successful water conservation takes cooperation on the part of many parties from water management districts to local governments, utilities, businesses and citizens," said Executive Director Carol Ann Wehle. "We commend and continue to encourage local communities with innovative water savings ideas to take advantage of grant programs such as WaterSIP to conserve our precious resources," Wehle added.
Since its inception, the WaterSIP program has invested $2.3 million in 72 projects throughout the District's 16-county region.
To date, WaterSIP has saved more than 1.56 billion gallons of water per year.
For more information on the WaterSIP program and to see the complete list of winners, click here.