Welcome to our Conservation & Education Page
(scroll down to see all our programs)

Olivenhain Municipal Water District has a strong commitment to educating the public about water issues and the importance of conserving this most precious resource. Not only does the District offer free educational programs for school children, it has programs designed for adults as well.

Education Programs

Local School Programs
The children in school today are the leaders of tomorrow and the District realizes the important role they will play in future decisions on growth, policies, and water resources. For questions about our education, conservation and public information efforts, call 760-632-4641 or send an email to tchase.

Annual Fourth Grade Poster Contest ( 2008 Deadline passed - March 31)

Scholarships for High School Seniors (2008 Deadline passed - March 14 )

Splash Science Mobile Lab - the field trip that comes to you (Book now for 2008/09 school year!)
The District sponsors four visits a year by the Splash Science Mobile Laboratory and the Green Machine in its service area. The award-winning programs are popular with students and teachers alike. They allow children to experience firsthand, many of our local water issues such as groundwater pollution, pond ecology, water quality, weather and climate, soil types and percolation and microbiology. These are subjects not often taught in the school curriculum. It is a mobile field trip brought right to your school!

Other activities conducted by District employees throughout the year include custom classroom presentations, traveling library visits at schools, and informational booths at community events.One classroom presentation is an interactive watershed model where students use gelatin crystals, chocolate syrup and water bottles to learn about point and non-point sources of pollution in local water.

Regional School Programs
There are free regional education programs available too. (Click on the link to view the programs)


Free Landscape and Irrigation Workshops
Click here for more information

California Friendly Landscape Makeover Contest (2008 Deadline passed - April 7)
Click Here for More Information

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Water Conservation Programs

Drought Alert (click link for more information)

Water resources in Southern California are limited. Ninety-percent of the region's water is imported from either the Colorado River or Northern California through the State Water Project. Meeting water needs now and in the future calls for aggressive conservation measures. Since 1992 Olivenhain Municipal Water District (OMWD) has offered assistance with indoor water conservation by offering vouchers for ultra-low flush toilets and other devices, but the time has come to focus on outdoor water use. As much as 80% of residential water use occurs outside the home.

Vouchers
In October 2004, the Board of Directors of the OMWD elected to focus our conservation efforts on outside water use programs such as the landscape workshops and the new California-friendly landscape makeover. Vouchers are available for water-saving devices such as washing machines, commercial dishwashers and x-ray machines. Vouchers work like coupons and must be used at the time of purchase.

In 2008, there are no residential toilet voucher programs in San Diego County. There is a regional high-efficiency clothes washer voucher program that the District participates in. For more information on the regional program, click here. This program is for washers purchased after July 1, 2007, before June 30, 2008 and you are required to call 800-986-4538 and request a voucher, or coupon, to save $175 on a qualified washer at the time of purchase. These vouchers can even be faxed to the washer retailer for added convenience.

The District offers a variety of conservation programs to our customers to help them use less water and save money. These conservation programs are designed to reduce long-term water use. Some programs involve distributing devices that save water, and other programs are designed to encourage wise water-use habits, such as the residential landscaping classes held each spring.
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Smart Controller Rebate Program Click here for more details
Smart controllers can be based on the weather, historical data or on a signal received from a local weather station.
Smart controllers can:

• Reduce maintenance costs by automatically adjusting to weather changes.
• Reduce runoff and the costs that can be incurred for, over-watered plant materials and dangerous, wet walkways and damaged asphalt.
• Promote healthier and better-looking landscaping that lasts longer

Get up to $150 for the purchase and/or installation of a new weather-based irrigation controller and save up to 40% of irrigation water. There is also a rebate of up to $200 for the purchase of a qualified smart controller.
List of qualifying installers and product.

Rebate Information and Application

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Artificial Turf Incentives for Mobile Home Parks, Public and Private Schools, Animal Care Facilities and Commercial Sites
A 50¢ per square foot incentive is available for sites looking to replace natural grass with artificial grass. Funding for the 50¢ incentive is limited and is provided on a first come, first served basis. A 30¢ incentive is provided year-round and is unlimited.

Guidelines
Interested and eligible parties must submit the request form available below for approval to the Water Authority. Sites have 3 months from the approval date to notify the Water Authority of the project’s completion. Failure to notify Water Authority staff of project's completion will result in the forfeit of funds. Extensions may be granted to sites that have commenced construction. For more information please contact Mayda Portillo at mportillo@sdcwa.org or (858) 522-6762.

Eligible Sites: Commercial and Industrial Sites, Homeowner's Associations, Private Schools, Multi-family Properties,Public Schools and Animal Care Facilities. Artificial Turf Funding Request Form

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Business Regional Programs Click here for more information
Businesses, schools, and other institutions can apply for vouchers for the purchase of faucet spray heads, dishwashers, cooling tower conductivity controllers, recirculating x-ray machines, and water brooms.
Save water, energy and money by calling today! (800) 986-4538

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Smart Landscape Grants for Commercial, Multi-Family, and Public Sites
Grants for repairs/upgrades (click on link for info and application)
Public, commercial and multi-family properties may qualify for grants of up to $2,500 per irrigated acre to replace or upgrade hardware and equipment that will stop leaks, reduce water use, or otherwise improve irrigation efficiency. Grants are limited to $5,000 total for commercial or multi-family properties and $10,000 for public sites.

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Agricultural Water Management Program
Click here for more information

The Agricultural Water Management Program provides free irrigation system evaluations to agricultural properties with two or more acres of irrigated crop or grove. The surveyor makes observations of the plant material, soil and irrigation system. Emission uniformity and pressure readings are determined for the irrigation system and recommendations are given along with crop data and technical information about the particular type of irrigation equipment in use. The program is free to all agricultural irrigators in the District's service area. For additional program information or to schedule an agricultural survey, please call Mission Resource Conservation District at (760) 728-1332.

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Water Budgets
Sites participating in the above programs will be enrolled in a free water budget program that provides a guideline for customers to follow for their water use. Customers may enroll in the free water budget program even if you do not participate in the incentive programs.

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Water Conservation Tips
Click here to view a list of tips

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Speakers Bureau
In addition to school classroom presentations and tours, District employees are available to groups, civic organizations and associations to make presentations, facilitate discussions, and provide general information about water issues.

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Information
Our lobby showcases a small library of material on gardening, irrigation, water conservation, District and water industry news as well as free items for your home. Drop by when paying your bill or when you're in the neighborhood.

Free Publications List

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Facility Tours
Tours of the David C. McCollom Water Treatment Plant, with a portion on the Olivenhain Dam, and the 4S Ranch Water Reclamation Facility are held several times a year. For information, please call 760-632-4641 or email tchase.

2008 Public Tour Dates - 1/25, 2/15, 4/24, 7/10, &d 10/16.

Tours start at 8:00 AM at the District offices and end at approximately 12:00 PM. The minimum number of attendees in order to hold a tour is four (4). Reservations must be made prior to the Monday before the tour date otherwise the tour is cancelled. For safety reasons, tours are not held during wet weather.
This is a shuttled tour, however, there is some walking and stair climbing throughout the tour. It is suggested that you wear comfortable clothing and bring sunscreen, a hat, and a camera.