FORT WORTH, Texas -- The mayors of Fort Worth, Arlington, Dallas and Irving publicly declared their support for making maximum twice-per-week watering guidelines the standard for the region, following one of the worst droughts since the 1950s.

By Michael Andresen

--The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation established the WCFSP in 1996 with the purpose to fulfill its water conservation-related obligation as outlined in Section 210 of the Reclamation Reform Act (RRA) of 1982. The RRA directs the Secretary to encourage and implement water conservation measures on Federal Reclamation projects.

-- The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Upper Colorado Region is requesting applications for the Water Conservation Field Service Program (WCFSP).

Recipient: Petaluma, City of

Recipient: Germantown, City of

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Bureau of Reclamation, in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, has announced the availability of Agricultural Water Conservation Efficiency Grants, a funding opportunity through the Bay-Delta Restoration Program.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Michael L. Connor announced 12 applied science projects will receive $1.2 million, and Reclamation will partner with other federal agencies and contribute $451,835 to applied science projects to benefit the Desert and Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperatives. This funding will be matched to provide more than $3.5 million for these applied science projects.

ATLANTA -- Georgia communities can now take advantage of lower interest rates for environmental infrastructure projects that conserve water. The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority's Executive Director Kevin Clark announced that the GEFA board of directors approved a 1 percent interest rate reduction on all water conservation loans made from the Georgia Fund, the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. Depending on the fund source, interest rates for qualifying projects could be as low as 2 percent.

SHOREWOOD, Ill. -- The most inefficient appliance in the home is also the one that uses the most water. Most toilets waste water four out of five flushes because they empty the entire tank with every flush. That's a lot of water being wasted, especially considering that the U.S. EPA estimates that residential toilets account for a third of the U.S. indoor household water use, or more than 2 trillion gallons of water a year.

-- The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation established the Water Conservation Field Services Program (WCFSP) in 1996 with the purpose of fulfilling its water conservation-related obligation as outlined in Section 210 of the Reclamation Reform Act (RRA) of 1982 directing the Secretary to encourage and implement water conservation measures on Federal Reclamation projects. Directives and Standards (WTR 01-02) were developed for the program which outlined Reclamation’s procedures for administering the WCFSP pursuant to the RRA and other existing authorities, including the provision of technical and financial assistance to non-federal entities and the administration of water conservation plans.

-- The objective of this FOA is to invite eligible applicants to leverage available funds and resources by cost sharing with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on activities that will do one or more of the following:

The Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region, is requesting proposals to fund activities in support of its Water Conservation Field Services Program (WCFSP) within the Lower Colorado Regional Area (LCRA).

READING, Mass. -- Just 10 miles outside of Boston, the town of Reading traces its rich heritage back to 1644. But when it comes to being good stewards of resources, the town is focused on the future. Recently, skyrocketing energy, fuel and water expenses were a major drain on the town's resources, and funding to improve efficiency was limited. To address this problem, the town of Reading and Reading Public Schools sought an energy services company partner to develop a project, identify funding, manage construction and guarantee results.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Revenue from leases for offshore oil and gas development in federal waters helped states build or improve 198 parks across the country in 2011, ranging from establishing a new park on Texas’ most pristine river, to protecting and providing public access to prehistoric petroglyphs in Wyoming to building a new wheelchair-accessible playground in Indiana, according to a new report issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior's National Park Service.

For all the talk about water conservation these days, recent studies show many cities in the developed world are still wasting or polluting potable supplies at alarming rates. A Pennsylvania waterworks supplier says inflow and infiltration of sewage plants during rainstorms is still a huge problem in many municipalities.

Recipient: Miami Beach, City of

Recipient: Soil and Water Conservation Commission, Georgia

Recipient: Belknap County

Recipient: County of Anoka

Recipient: Middletown Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians of California

Recipient: Fort Worth, City of

Recipient: West Palm Beach, City of

Recipient: Pittsburg, City of

Recipient: Longmont, City of Inc