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CLEARWATER – Awards season is open for the 2023 Tampa Bay Community Water Wise Awards program, which recognizes residents and businesses with water thrifty landscapes in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties. Residents may apply online at awards.tampabaywaterwise.org until June 30. Winners receive a custom mosaic garden stone, handcrafted by a local artist, as well as recognition by local elected officials.
Earning a coveted award stone requires balancing Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ elements with attractive design, minimal maintenance, and efficient irrigation techniques that result in reduced water use.
Outdoor irrigation accounts for the greatest amount of discretionary water use in Tampa Bay area homes. Up to 50 percent of water used is from outdoor watering, which means the greatest potential to save water can be a water-efficient landscape.
“The Tampa Bay Community Water Wise Awards rewards those who are committed to conserving our water resources through water-efficient landscaping,” said Amelia Brown, Tampa Bay Water’s demand management program manager. “Our region is growing and it is important that we save as much water as we can.”
The program is a partnership between Tampa Bay Water, the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) County Extension and the Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program to recognize those who successfully implement efficient irrigation techniques and Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ principles into unique and attractive landscape designs that can positively impact the environment.
If you have an attractive, water-efficient landscape, now is the time to enter the Tampa Bay Community Water Wise Awards and share your creation with your community.
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