The success of Seattle's water conservation programs has been recognized with an award from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Seattle Public Utilities has won a 2008 Environmental Protection Agency WaterSense Partner of the Year award.

Benjamin H. Grumbles, agency assistant administrator for water, said that Seattle Public Utilities and its Saving Water Partnership won the award for being blue ribbon winners in water efficiency.

"These water stars are helping WaterSense transform the way Americans view and value our most precious liquid asset and, as a result, we are saving more and wasting less for future generations," Grumbles said.

Seattle Public Works has been working with the Environmental Protection Agency on programs that conserve Seattle's water resources, including the Save With Every Flush campaign which promoted WaterSense-labeled high efficiency toilets that use about 20 percent less water -1.28 gallons per flush compared to the 1.6 gpf of standard efficient toilets - to homeowners, property managers, plumbers and retailers.