Water Wise

With 134 freshwater lakes surrounding the Peterborough Region, water connects us all. GreenUP’s dynamic Water Wise programs support and celebrate this connection by bridging a number of water-related concerns for our region with positive actions for residents, decision-makers, and neighbourhoods.

GreenUP’s Water Wise team currently offers programming focused on building awareness, landscaping, and promoting water conservation and storm water mitigation.

The “Related Programs” section below provides links to specific programs that help residents, neighbours, businesses, and homeowners become more water wise. Below you can find information on the benefits and uses of rain barrels, information on how you can install a rain garden, guidance on creating a drought-tolerant water wise garden, resources to share with your family and neighbours, or how you can use less water during droughts and mitigate damage during floods.

Program History

GreenUP’s Water Wise programs began in 2015 with a pilot of what is now the Peterborough Utilities Water Wise Landscape Recognition Program. This landscape recognition program was modelled after the City of Brantford’s Waterwise Landscape Recognition Program. The program was made possible with funding from the Peterborough Utilities Group and offered to customers of Peterborough Utilities. You can read more about this ongoing program here.

In 2022, GreenUP expanded Water Wise to make this much-needed programming available to a broad range of residents across the greater Peterborough area.