Oceanside finished second in a national water conservation challenge among cities with populations between 100,000 and 299,999, behind only Lakeland, Florida, it was announced Wednesday.
During the month of August, Oceanside residents pledged to save water and protect the environment as part of the Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation.
The challenge is intended to push cities across the nation to promote water supply reliability, watershed protection and overall environmental stewardship, and is a call to action for leaders to inspire their residents to use resources wisely.
According to Oceanside officials, residents who participated in the challenge by pledging or completing environmental projects from home earned points for the city in the nationwide competition.
Oceanside has improved its results each of the three years it has competed, in which it came in sixth, third and now second place. Thousands of cities and towns across the country compete in the challenge in one of six tiers, depending on population.
“The Oceanside community has shown its commitment to sustainability and efficient use of natural resources,” said Cari Dale, the city’s water utilities director.
Overall, challenge participants in 2020 pledged to save more than 1 billion gallons of water, 74 million kilowatt hours of electricity and 29 million fewer pounds of waste entering landfills.
— City News Service