Hot Springs Mayor Pat McCabe has joined other mayors from across the country who are asking residents to make a long-term commitment to reduce pollution and manage their water resources more wisely.
Between April 1-30, 2022, Hot Springs and Garland County residents are encouraged to pledge to save water at www.mywaterpledge.com.
In 2015, area residents rallied to earn Hot Springs a second-place finish in the 4th Annual Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation. For 2022, the City hopes to do even better and win the 11th Annual event in the category for cities between 30,000 and 99,999.
In completing the online conservation pledge, residents will add to Hot Springs’ total pledge count and can nominate a charity in Hot Springs for a chance to win a Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Each participant will also be entered to win from thousands of eco-friendly prizes, including $3,000 toward their home utility bills, water-saving fixtures and hundreds of other prizes. Only cities with the most residents making pledges will qualify for the more than $50,000 in prize drawings.
“’Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.’ You wouldn’t think that would be the case in Hot Springs and Garland County, Arkansas, where there are an abundance of streams, rivers and lakes. You would think water would be plentiful. But that is not always so,” said Hot Springs Mayor Pat McCabe. “We all remember February 2021 with the snow and freezing weather that came upon us. We had more than 3,000 busted water lines to residential homes. That depleted our water resources, including our brand new 3 million gallon water tank that was just put into play four months earlier. So it’s important for us to conserve water each and every day. Please join me in the water challenge – Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation. Conserve water each and every day. Make your pledge today at www.mywater.pledge.com. Let’s conserve each and every day, not just when it’s a crisis.”
The Utilities Department is committed to providing a safe healthful living environment through quality water treatment and distribution, which includes planning for future water sources and conserving water through reducing the amount of unbillable water. These conservation efforts include recent initiatives that are identifying and quantifying water losses, without disrupting the system, for greater efficiency with expected total projected savings of more than $2.4 million in unbilled water and energy savings. Find out more about these initiatives at www.cityhs.net/water-challenge.
The annual Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, presented by the Wyland Foundation and Toyota, encourages residents across America to make small changes in their lives to better manage our water resources and improve the health of our ocean, lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands.