EPA's WaterSense certifies first landscape programs

Just in time for the spring gardening season, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its first WaterSense label for landscape irrigation to two professional certification programs from the Irrigation Association (IA).

The new designation, which was issued to the IA's Certified Irrigation Designer program and Certified Irrigation Contractor program, recognizes the programs’ adherence to water-saving techniques. To earn the WaterSense label, the programs must test for the ability to design, install, and maintain water-efficient landscape-irrigation systems, including tailoring systems to the surrounding landscape, selecting water-efficient equipment, tracking local climate conditions, and developing appropriate schedules for watering.

IA's certified irrigation contractors and certified irrigation designers are now eligible to become WaterSense partners and can use the WaterSense partner logo to promote their water-efficient landscape and irrigation services to consumers.

Developed in 2006 and launched this year, EPA’s WaterSense program is a voluntary public-private partnership that seeks to protect the future of the nation's water supply by promoting water efficiency and enhancing the market for water-efficient products, programs, and practices. Through its label identifying water-efficient products and programs, WaterSense seeks to generate support for consumer use of products such as high-efficiency toilets, water-saving faucets, and in the future, weather-based controllers and soil-moisture sensors for lawns and gardens.