The Irrigation Association has named Colorado Springs Utilities, Colorado, as the Smart Water Application Technologies 2025 Outstanding Industry Partnership Award recipient.
This award recognizes a water provider that has successfully implemented a program focused on business irrigation education to support rebates. By spotlighting outstanding water providers and their innovative projects, the Irrigation Association works to raise awareness of the value of irrigation within the green industry and the positive impact these types of partnerships can have on our communities.
Colorado Springs Utilities is being recognized for its program launched in 2022 to pair rebates and retrofits with targeted education so customers and contractors can maximize savings from smart irrigation technology. The utility now requires commercial participants to use landscape contractors trained through the Irrigation Association’s Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor program for irrigation retrofits. This ensures all installations are handled by professionals with proven water-efficiency expertise.
“The Irrigation Association is honored to recognize Colorado Springs Utilities with the 2025 Outstanding Industry Partnership Award,” said IA CEO Natasha Rankin. “By pairing rebates with education and requiring IA-certified irrigation professionals for commercial retrofits, they’ve created a model for utilities, contractors and customers that ensures water savings are both measurable and durable. This kind of utility-industry partnership sets a new benchmark for collaboration and impact across the green industry.”
The program has delivered measurable results, exceeding goals across multiple initiatives. On average, these irrigation and landscape retrofits gain over 40 acre-feet of savings each year while boosting professional engagement through CLIA and CIT training.
The 2025 SWAT Outstanding Industry Partnership Award was recognized on Oct. 8 during the WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition. Applications for the 2026 IA SWAT awards will open in early 2026. For more information about the Irrigation Association, visit irrigation.org. For more about the Smart Water Application Technologies coalition led by the Irrigation Association, visit swatirrigation.org.
