Media Release

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL - Alachua County joined counties across Florida to declare April 2015 as Water Conservation Month. The Alachua County Environmental Protection Department (EPD) is celebrating Water Conservation Month with the Springs Celebration and Chili Cook Off at O’Leno State Park (410 S.E. O'Leno Park Road) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 28. There will be music and children’s learning activities about water conservation and springs.

“We depend on the aquifer for our drinking water, as do our springs, rivers, and lakes,” said EPD Water Conservation Coordinator Stacie Greco. “We all need to do our part to use less water every day. The best way to leave more water for our springs and future generations is to replace thirsty landscapes with ones that can survive on rainfall alone once they are established.”

Native plants can be purchased at the Go Native Spring Plant Sale at Morningside Nature Center (3450 East University Avenue, Gainesville), on April 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and at the Master Gardener Plant Sale on May 16, at the Alachua County Extension Office (2800 N.E. 39th Avenue, Gainesville), from 8 a.m. to noon.

For more information, visit the Alachua County Water Resources website, or contact Stacie Greco at 352-264-6829 or sgreco@alachuacounty.us.