Madison Wins Water Conservation Challenge

The City of Madison is one of 12 cities to win this year's National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation, an online competition to encourage residents nationwide to conserve water, save energy, and reduce pollution. The challenge divides cities into regions and encourages residents to compete by making online pledges to reduce water use. In Midwest cities with a population of 100,000 or more, Madison ranked first in participation for the challenge. The Wyland Foundation and Toyota sponsor the challenge in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, the primary federal law protecting water resources in the U.S. "We reached out to Madison residents to participate in the challenge and they answered the call," said Madison Mayor Paul Soglin. "We can attribute our success to conservation efforts including promoting sustainability and water conservation through such programs as the Water Utility's toilet rebate." The other winning cities are: Laguna Beach, California; Victoria, Minnesota; South Shore, Kentucky; Charlestown, New Hampshire; Manhattan Beach, California; Eden Prairie, Minnesota; Fort Pierce, Florida; Quakertown, Pennsylvania; Greeley, Colorado; Charlottesville, Virginia; and Toms River, New Jersey. Other organizations spearheading the effort also include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and a number of water supply companies. Participants in the winning cities will now be entered into a drawing to win more than $50,000 in prizes. Challenge results can be viewed at www.mywaterpledge.com.