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Olivenhain Municipal Water District and Carlsbad Municipal Water District will host free workshops for local businesses and landscape professionals to promote the use and benefits of recycled water. The workshops will be held in Carlsbad on November 14 and in San Marcos on November 15.

A panel of experts who specialize in recycled water use for landscape irrigation will answer questions addressing conversion costs, equipment requirements, and best practices. The workshops are a component of a multi-agency outreach program funded by a California’s Department of Water Resources grant awarded for the North San Diego County Regional Recycled Water Project. Developed by the North San Diego Water Reuse Coalition, the project will offset 41 million gallons of potable water per day to San Diego’s water supply portfolio at full build-out.

“Every drop of recycled water used on our landscapes replaces a drop of imported potable water,” said OMWD board director Ed Sprague. “We look forward to sharing the benefits of water reuse with new and potential users and facilitating the conversion process to expand the use of this sustainable water supply.”

Both three-hour workshops will address the same topics and will begin at 11:00 a.m. The workshop on November 14 will be held at Ewing Irrigation and Landscape Supply, located at 6104 Avenida Encinas in Carlsbad. The November 15 workshop will be held at Hunter Industries, located at 1940 Diamond Street in San Marcos. Interested parties may register at www.olivenhain.com/events. Workshop materials can be found at www.nsdwrc.org.

Recycled water is produced locally and irrigates sports fields, parks, golf courses, medians, and homeowner association common areas. OMWD continues to expand its recycled water system and is currently working in the Village Park community in Encinitas, as well as on the property owned by the City of San Diego and currently leased by Surf Cup Sports, LLC. Seven homeowner associations in Village Park have already converted to recycled water, and OMWD continues to engage large irrigators on the benefits of retrofitting their sites to recycled water. Once all sites currently in the planning stages are converted, OMWD will deliver an additional 28 million gallons of recycled water per year.

Recycled water is suitable for non-potable uses such as irrigation, and is not only a drought-resilient supply, but also costs less than potable water. In addition to reduced water rates and increased water supply reliability, the benefits of using recycled water include the reduction of ocean discharge, resource conservation, and the enhancement of wildlife habitat.