Florida Water Environment Association 2022 – Earle B. Phelps Award
BABCOCK RANCH, Fla. – Babcock Ranch Water Utilities won three first-place awards for outstanding accomplishments in water reclamation, operational performance and safety from the Florida Water Environment Association. The awards, presented April 26, recognize the BRWU wastewater treatment facility’s excellence in transforming wastewater into reusable water for irrigation.
Operated by Town & Country Utilities, BRWU received the first-place Earle B. Phelps Award for maintaining the highest removal of major pollution-causing components from treated wastewater, the Safety Award for its stellar safety program, and the Municipal Utility Operational Performance Excellence Award. BRWU also received the Earle B. Phelps Award in 2019.
“People know Babcock Ranch as America’s first-solar powered town, but how we treat wastewater and reuse it are integral to our mission of creating a community that respects the environment and conserves natural resources,” said Syd Kitson, chairman and CEO of Kitson & Partners, developers of Babcock Ranch. “Our wastewater treatment facility uses innovative technology that makes a difference in the quality of water reused for irrigation.”
BRWU/TCU has also been honored as a 2021 Water Resources Utility of the Future Today for innovative and forward-thinking practices in recycling water; received the Florida Water Environment Association’s 2019 David W. York Award recognizing outstanding water reuse projects in Florida; and earned the Department of Environmental Protection’s 2018 Domestic Plant Operations Excellence Award for Drinking Water recognizing outstanding treatment water and wastewater plant operations, maintenance and compliance.
Babcock Ranch was created by Kitson & Partners with the philosophy that smart growth and sustainability work hand in hand. Half of the town’s footprint is set aside as greenways, parks and expansive lakes, providing recreation and scenic backdrops for Babcock Ranch’s homes and the Founder’s Square downtown district. Built to Florida Green Building Coalition standards, homes emphasize energy and water conservation and have a full gig of fiber-optic connectivity.
Babcock Ranch continues to explore higher environmental standards in homebuilding with the recent introduction of its newest neighborhood – Innovation Way – with seven showcase homes serving as a testing ground and living laboratory. National homebuilders Lennar, Pulte Homes and D.R. Horton are evaluating the possibilities for a new wave of homebuilding solutions, implementing cutting-edge technology, new materials and construction practices to create the most energy-efficient, water-preserving and health-forward homes on the market. Florida Power & Light Company will analyze energy efficiency throughout the testing period.
Recognized as the country’s 14th top-selling master-planned community in 2021 by RCLCO Real Estate Advisors, Babcock Ranch was named Master Planned Community of the Year by the Lee Building Industry Association for a second consecutive year in 2021. Babcock Ranch offers homes from AR Homes by Arthur Rutenberg, Divco Custom Homes, Florida Lifestyle Homes, Lennar, Meritage Homes, Pulte Homes and WCI. Additional neighborhoods by D.R. Horton and Toll Brothers are coming soon.
Babcock Ranch homebuilders offer more than 50 home designs ranging from 1,120 to more than 4,000 square feet. Homes appeal to young millennials, families, empty nesters and retirees, with base prices ranging from the mid-$200,000s to over $1.5 million.
For more information about Southwest Florida’s new hometown, located just northeast of Fort Myers off Babcock Ranch Road/State Road 31, visit the Woodlea Hall Discovery Center at 42850 Crescent Loop in Babcock Ranch, call 877-709-6620, or visit www.BabcockRanch.com.
