Princeton Resident Drops One Bad Habit, Wins $1,000
Water IQ Water Genius Contest rewards reformed water wasters
WYLIE, Texas — This summer, citizens throughout the North Texas Municipal Water District’s (NTMWD) service area confessed their wasteful water-use habits and offered creative solutions to fix them as part of the Water IQ Water Genius Contest. One resident’s solution stood out among them all: Maria Ostrowski’s from Princeton, Texas.
Ostrowski’s 12-year-old daughter, Josephine, first noticed how her father over-watered their lawn and bushes with their sprinkler and also wasted water on the road and sidewalk. He was inspired by his daughter to eliminate this water-wasting habit, and the Ostrowski family began using soaker hoses to water the bushes, and they started watering their lawn by hand to avoid watering paved areas. Ostrowski’s entry to the Water IQ Water Genius Contest was named the grand-prize winner, and she has won a $1,000 gift card to Elliott’s Hardware to be used for water-wise purchases.
“The Water Genius Contest really made me realize that saving water is easy and that small changes can make a big difference,” Ostrowski said. “I’m looking forward to going to Elliott’s Hardware to make my home even more water-efficient.”
Water-wise products available at Elliott’s Hardware include rain barrels, mulch, soil amendments, soaker hoses and timers, dual flush toilets, tankless hot water heaters, high efficiency shower heads, and replacement and repair parts for leaky plumbing, indoors and out.
Winners Throughout North Texas
NTMWD sponsored the Water IQ Water Genius Contest as part of its summer-long water awareness and conservation campaign to encourage consumers to drop at least one bad water habit this summer. A panel of judges evaluated all contest entries and selected one grand-prize winner and nine runners-up, based on the creativity and effectiveness of the solution to the bad habit.
The Water IQ Water Genius Contest runners-up, who each will receive a $40 gift certificate to a local restaurant and/or movie theater, are:
- Amy Bednar, Frisco
- Kim Buttram, Forney
- Thom Chesney, McKinney
- Lonnie DeLay, Terrell
- Mindy Lenox, Wylie
- Deborah Stone, Plano
- Karis Strannemar, Allen
- Two additional runners-up will be announced.
“Wasting water is a bad habit we can’t afford to continue,” said Jim Parks, executive director of the NTMWD. “I applaud all of our contest entrants, and everyone throughout North Texas who has become more mindful of their water-use habits and who is doing their part to conserve our water.”
Good water-use habits include following your city’s watering schedule, repairing broken or misdirected sprinkler heads, and checking for and repairing water leaks. More water-saving tips can be found on NTMWD’s Water IQ website: http://northtexas.wateriqknowyourwater.org.
“Bad Habits” Tour, TV Spot
NTMWD’s water awareness and conservation campaign continues with “House of Bad Habits” outreach events and a humorous television public service announcement that encourages consumers to drop at least one bad water-use habit this summer.
Click here for a list of upcoming events: http://northtexas.wateriqknowyourwater.org/events.php.
The PSA can be viewed at: http://northtexas.wateriqknowyourwater.org/media/NTMWD_BadHabits.mov.
The NTMWD serves more than 1.6 million customers and uses Water IQ — an official state of Texas water education campaign — to encourage residents and businesses to use water wisely and efficiently.
About North Texas Municipal Water District
NTMWD directly serves the following cities and/or water supply agencies: Allen, Farmersville, Forney, Frisco, Garland, Mesquite, McKinney, Plano, Princeton, Richardson, Royse City, Rockwall, Wylie, Bonham, Caddo Basin S.U.D., Cash W.S.C., College Mound W.S.C., Copeville S.U.D., East Fork S.U.D., Fairview, Fate, Forney Lake W.S.C., Gastonia-Scurry S.U.D., Greater Texoma Utility Authority, Josephine, Kaufman, Kaufman Four-One, Lavon W.S.C., Little Elm, Lucas, Melissa, Milligan W.S.C., Mt. Zion W.S.C., Murphy, Nevada W.S.C., North Collin W.S.C., Parker, Prosper, Rose Hill S.U.D., Rowlett, Sachse, Seis Lagos M.U.D., Sunnyvale, Terrell, and Wylie Northeast S.U.D.