CBT's Water Smart program connecting with Basin residents
By Contributor
Water Smart Ambassadors are now in 12 communities across the Basin, educating residents about water conservation and offering free residential landscape and irrigation system audits.
The Columbia Basin Water Smart Initiative (Water Smart), developed by Columbia Basin Trust (CBT), helps local governments assess their water conservation needs and develops plans to reduce community water consumption.
Through Water Smart, 22 participating local governments recently completed community specific Water Smart Action Plans, most of which identified outdoor irrigation in the summer months as one of the highest water uses in the community.
To effectively address this high outdoor water use, CBT developed the Water Smart Ambassador program in collaboration with participating Water Smart communities.
“The Water Smart Ambassadors will actively support residents by providing site specific recommendations to help them reduce their outdoor water use,” said Kindy Gosal, CBT Director, Water and Environment.
From May to August, Water Smart Ambassadors will be carrying out residential irrigation audits and promoting water conservation awareness and education. To schedule a free residential audit, contact your local participating community at their municipal office.
City of Castlegar
City of Fernie
City of Kimberley
City of Rossland
Town of Creston
Town of Golden
Town of Sparwood
Village of Fruitvale
Village of Montrose
Village of Valemount
Village of Radium Hot Springs
Regional District of Central Kootenay –Erickson
“The Villages of Fruitvale and Montrose are carrying out a joint Water Ambassador program and we are sure that our residents will appreciate the value of this conservation program and make excellent use of the information and services available to them,” said Lisa Creswell, CAO, Village of Fruitvale. “Columbia Basin Trust is a valued resource and partner in water conservation initiatives in the Beaver Valley.”
The goal of Water Smart is to reduce community water use across the Basin by 20 per cent by 2015. Each community determines its own local water conservation target that will contribute to the overall Basin-wide target. Learn more at www.cbt.org/watersmart.
CBT delivers economic, social and environmental benefits to the residents of the Columbia Basin. To learn more about CBT programs and initiatives, visit www.cbt.org or call 1.800.505.8998.
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