Montrose, CO — As the need to conserve water continues to increase across the American West, Montrose Mayor Dave Frank is joining mayors across the United States in asking residents to make a long-term commitment to manage water resources more wisely by taking part in the 2023 Wyland National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation.
The annual challenge will be held throughout the month of April and is a non-profit community-service campaign to see which leaders can best inspire their residents to take informative steps to use water more efficiently, reduce pollution, and save energy. The City of Montrose has participated each year since 2012.
The online pledge at mywaterpledge.com takes less than one minute to complete.
The City of Montrose also provides a free online service known as AquaHawk for any and all municipal water service customers that allows them to monitor their own water usage, set and receive alerts, and access tools to control monthly water bills. Customers interested in using the portal must register to create a new account.
Find out more about this program here.
Mayor Frank will sign a proclamation at the April 18 City Council meeting to recognize April 2023 as Water Conservation Month in the City of Montrose.
Participants in the winning cities are eligible to win hundreds of prizes. Last year, the challenge awarded more than $50,000 in prizes to nearly 300 residents in U.S. cities. Most importantly, participants see the enormous impact they can have on their community by taking simple actions to save water and energy. This year, the campaign will put a spotlight on student participation, with students from thousands of schools across the country making water conservation commitments together with their teachers that directly support their city’s standings.
Mayor Frank said water is a vital resource for the long-term sustainability of the Montrose community, and it is important for the future of Colorado’s water resources that all communities, individuals, and organizations strive to reduce indoor and outdoor water use.
“In this time of ever-increasing demands on our river systems, every effort, no matter how small, can have a large impact,” Frank said
Montrose-area residents are encouraged to participate in the annual water conservation drive aimed at raising awareness, curbing excessive water use, and reducing the amount of hazardous waste entering watersheds and landfills.
In 2020, the City of Montrose finished fourth in the United States out of all of the communities participating in the population category of 5,000 to 29,900 residents. During that challenge, some 1,300 Montrose residents made pledges to save 4.4 million gallons of water.
In addition to reducing overall water waste, Montrose residents pledged to reduce their use of single-use plastic water bottles by more than 10,000 and to take action to prevent 232 pounds of hazardous waste from entering watersheds.
Water Conservation Month in the City of Montrose also coincides with the full schedule of community activities that will occur during the city's annual Earth Week celebration from April 21 through April 28.