By Jennifer Nations, Water Resource Coordinator
Spring has sprung!
The Memorial Day weekend is the perfect opportunity to enhance your landscape with water-efficient plants, fix leaks, and upgrade to more efficient plumbing fixtures. The Texas Comptroller’s Office offers a sales tax holiday for water-efficient and energy-efficient products from Saturday to Monday.
These products help trim your water and energy bills and contribute to conserving our precious water resources. They are specifically designed to recharge water tables, decrease ambient air temperature and evaporation, and conserve or retain our groundwater – College Station’s sole water source.
Eligible items include water-efficient plumbing fixtures, irrigation equipment, rainwater harvesting tools, and even plants and soil that promote water retention. Here are some examples:
- WaterSense-labeled products include new toilets, faucets, shower heads, and sprinkler controllers. Toilet leaks can waste thousands of gallons each month, and an upgrade could pay for itself quickly.
- Soaker or drip-irrigation hoses.
- Moisture controls for a sprinkler or irrigation system, such as a rain shutoff switch or soil moisture sensor.
- Rain barrels – rainwater harvesting equipment is always tax-exempt.
- Plants, trees, and grasses.
- Soil and compost.
WaterSense-labeled products pass an independent third-party certification process and meet the EPA’s water efficiency and performance specifications. They will deliver exceptional performance and savings on your home and business water bills for many years.
Stay cool this weekend, and enjoy your water and energy savings!
About the Blogger
Jennifer Nations has been the City of College Station’s water resource coordinator since 1999 after two years as BVSWMA’s environmental compliance officer. She’s also chair of the Water Conservation and Reuse Division for the Texas Section of the American Water Works Association. A native of Fremont, Calif., Jennifer earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental & resource science from UC-Davis in 1995 and a master’s degree in water management & hydrologic science from Texas A&M in 2016.
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