It’s the upcoming showdown everyone is talking about!

Chapel Hill and Carrboro will square off in a friendly competition to save water during the month of April.

The mayors of Chapel Hill and Carrboro challenged each other on March 22, World Water Day.

Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger said besides conserving fresh water, the Mayors Save Water Challenge saves electricity, and subsequently cuts emissions, too.

“There’s a lot of energy that goes into cleaning the water for you to be able to drink it.”

Mayor Hemminger said this was just one part of larger efforts to raise awareness around climate change and its affects.

Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle said simple changes around the house can save water, like waiting to run the dishwasher and washing machine till they are full. You can also save by planting less water-intensive plants and cutting down on lawn care

“Things that we kind of take for granted sometimes, but when we are in the middle of a water shortage then we kind realize, ‘oh wait a minute, we need to cut back.’ So this is a way to be proactive.”

To participate, residents are asked to visit the OWASA website to take a pledge to save or protect water. The town that collects the largest percentage of pledges through April 30 will win the Golden Faucet award trophy and bragging rights for the year.

While on OWASA’s website, both mayors encouraged residents to check out the new Agua Vista tool which helps monitor water usage for individual customers.

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