AWWA 2008 Conference Highlights
Four-day conference offered latest in water conservation. Read more….

RiverXchange Connects Fourth Graders RiverXChange uses teleconferencing to teach fourth graders about rivers and communities. Read more….

WaterSense Challenge
New EPA program challenges states to form WaterSense partnerships. Help New Mexico be a winner.

Santa Fe County Initiates Water Conservation Actions
County Water Resource Specialist develops tracking methods. Read more ...

Lonnie Burke,
owner of Resource Wise, receives prestigious BOR award. Read more ...

The Sustainable Water Sources Conference was held in Reno this year.   AWWA 2008 Sustainable Water Sources Conference The 2008 AWWA Sustainable Water Sources Conference was held in Reno, Nevada February 10-13, 2008. Over 120 presentations and classes on water conservation and resource planning were offered along with an exhibit hall with 16 vendors.
Highlights include:
•		The EPA WaterSense labeling program is setting standards for new appliances and fixtures. All standards go through set protocols for product review to receive the WaterSense label. Standards for Smart controllers are currently under review. For more information www.epa.gov/watersense/index.htm.
•		Texas requires drinking water suppliers with more than 3,300 connections to submit water conservation plans. Priority funding is given to suppliers with a history of progress or effort in water conservation. Progress is measured in water use and gallons per capita per day (GPCD).
•		East Bay Municipal Utility District (MUD) in California is developing the Guidebook for Water Use Efficiency in New Developments. The guidebook will focus on advice for developers early in the planning process regarding subdivisions, commercial, and institutional building. It will provide cost and pay-back information on water conservation appliances and practices. Publication is scheduled for April 2008 and can be downloaded for free at www.ebmud.com/.
•		The Environmental Protection Agency has funded a study comparing water use in new and existing single-family homes. The study, which is still in progress, includes nine utilities and 18,000 homes. The first round of data is under analysis, but early results show automated irrigation systems in new homes pushing water use up. The study should be completed by October 2008 and will be available on the WaterSense Web site and the California Urban Water Conservation Council (CUWCC) Web site at www.cuwcc.org/home.html.
•		California is in the process of providing free evapotranspiration data to Smart controllers within its state. Utilities, universities, and manufacturers are working together to develop the system. Smart controllers will be mandated in California by 2012 as per legislation passed in 2006 (AB 2717 and AB 1881).
•		Southwest Florida Water Management District requires drinking water suppliers to complete the AWWA Water Audit Methodology. Miami-Dade County presented their results.
•		The 2008 edition of AWWA Water Resources Planning (M50) is now available. It dedicates a chapter to water demand forecasting that offers a variety of options for predicting water supplies. The options range from least expensive and least accurate to most expensive and most accurate.
•		Aurora, Colorado, tested the Water Smart Reader. The device is an automatic meter reader that can be placed in the home to allow homeowners to monitor their own meters. Aurora provided the Smart Readers to customers at a discounted price. Sixty-five percent of these users reported a reduction in their annual consumption.

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RiverXchange Project Connects New Mexico and Illinois Fourth Graders

Two classes of fourth graders from Los Ranchos Elementary in Albuquerque have developed high-tech pen pals in two classes from Godfrey, Illinois. The purpose is to share what each class is learning about their own local river. Both groups are fortunate to live close to two of our nation’s great rivers – the Rio Grande and the Mississippi. In fact, Godfrey is located near the confluence of three great rivers: the Mississippi, the Illinois and the Missouri.

	A student presents her project.

The classes will meet three times this year via video teleconferencing equipment to share what they are learning about the geography, science, and culture of their rivers. Each session will include writing, drawing, and hands-on activities that meet several science, social studies, and language arts standards.

The pilot project is part of the 2007 Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Children’s Water Festival’s Outreach Program, which helps teachers promote water as a theme and meet curriculum standards throughout the 2007-2008 school year.

Amy White (contractor to Experiential EE, LLC) and Jessica Pascoe of the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, are working closely to plan and coordinate the project. Both educators also help coordinate children’s water festivals in their communities. The Bernalillo Cooperative Extension Office is generously providing the teleconferencing facility, and the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) is underwriting the cost of bus transportation to the teleconferencing site. The New Mexico Water Conservation Alliance (NMWCA) serves as fiscal partner to Experiential EE, LLC, which produces children’s water festivals in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho.

Session highlights

For more information about the Children’s Water Festivals and Outreach Program, contact Katie Babuska, Experiential EE, LLC at 505-975-0036, or visit our festival Web site at www.waterfestnm.com.

New Mexico students video teleconference with Illinois students.

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WaterSense Program Offers
Simple Ways to Save Water

WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), seeks to protect the future of our nation’s water supply by helping consumers identify products in the marketplace that are about 20 percent more efficient. The program does this through several measures, one being an easy-to-spot WaterSense label that ensures product performance and encourages innovation in manufacturing.

WaterSense labeled products require no consumer sacrifice. These products have been independently certified to use less water while performing as well as or better than conventional models. WaterSense is also labeling certification programs for irrigation professionals to encourage water efficiency in the landscaping business.

EPA can’t do this alone, however. WaterSense strives to make water-efficient products and practices commonplace by partnering with water utilities, government agencies, and other promotional partners. They also partner with manufacturers, retailers, distributors, certifying organizations, and irrigation professionals who have completed a WaterSense labeled program. 

New Mexico already has several WaterSense partners: NM Water Conservation Alliance, NM Office of the State Engineer, Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, City of Santa Fe, New Mexico Utilities, Inc. and Homewise, Inc.

Recently the EPA issued a state challenge to see which states can produce the most WaterSense partnerships. Help New Mexico lead the way in water conservation by signing up to become a WaterSense partner.

Benefits include:

Webcast conferences titled “Becoming a WaterSense Partner Makes Sense” are scheduled to help utilities learn more about the program. The next conference calls are scheduled for May 14 and July 2 at 3-4 p.m. EST. If you would like to learn more about WaterSense and how you can become a partner, visit the WaterSense Web site at www.epa.gov/watersense, or call the WaterSense Helpline at (866) WTR-SENS (987-7367).

www.epa.gove/watersense • watersense@epa.gov (366) WTR-SENS (987-7367)

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Laurie Trevizo, Water Resources Specialist for Santa Fe County, has been developing tracking methods to ensure oversight of the requirements. She has also been finalizing the Water Conservation Web page, which will provide information, advice, and updates on water conservation. Laurie is coordinating with the City of Santa Fe on the Children’s Water Fiesta, which will take place April 16 and 17 at the Santa Fe Community College. The county water conservation program will host water jeopardy.

For more information on the Santa Fe County Water Conservation Program, go to www.santafecounty.org/waterconservation.

Information on water conservation available at www.santafecounty.org/waterconservation

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Lonnie Burke Awarded Water Conservation Award

Please help us in extending a big congratulations to one of our very own!

Lonnie Burke, owner of Resource Wise, was awarded the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) Regional Director’s Water Conservation Award for the Upper Colorado Regional Office.

Joseph Alderete, a BOR Water Conservation Specialist, was on hand to bestow the plaque to Mr. Burke, who received this prestigious award for outstanding, progressive efforts in water efficiency and leadership in the water conservation community.

Through funding grants from the BOR’s Water Conservation Field Services Program, Resource Wise assisted small communities along the Rio Grande and Pecos Rivers to write water conservation plans.

The plans, which identify and prioritize water use and conservation issues, resulted in the following:

Way to go Lonnie Burke!

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The Spring Calendar

The Climate and Deserts Workshop:
Adaptive Management of Desert Ecosystems in a Changing Climate
April 9-11 2008
Aquarius Casino Resort
1900 S. Casino Drive
Laughlin, Nevada 89029
www.dmg.gov/climate/

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Conference of the Southwestern and Rocky Mountain (SWARM) Division
April 9-12, 2008
University of New Mexico,
Albuquerque
www.sandia.gov/AAAS-SWARM/

2008 Green Living Conference
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Phoenix Zoo Pavilion
Phoenix, Arizona
www.harvestingrainwater.com/2008/01/28/2008-
green-living-conference-phoenix-arizona/

12th Annual Water Reuse & Desalination Research Conference
May 5-6, 2008
The Westin Tabor Center
Denver, Colorado

AWWA Annual Conference and Expo (ACE)
—The World's Water Event®
(Hotel and Conference Center were damaged in March tornado. 
Please check AWWA Web Site for updates.)
June 8-12, 2008
Georgia World Congress Center
Atlanta, Georgia
www.awwa.org/ace08/
303.794.7711 or 800.926.7337

Rocky Mountain Section AWWA/RMWEA Joint Annual Conference
September 14-17, 2008
Colorado Springs, Colorado
www.rmsawwa.net/

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