Free Water Wisdom workshop this weekend

A lot of locals are worried about the water shortage in the Valley.
Now they can set about learning more about the Sonoma watershed and what they can do to conserve water in their own homes through the first-ever Water Wisdom event. The free event is open to the community and will be held at the Veteran’s Memorial Building, 126 First St. W. this Saturday, Feb. 21 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“This great idea came from the inspiration of Julie Jehly of Sonoma Ecology Center,” said Wendy Atkins, stormwater coordinator for the city of Sonoma. The spark of that idea grew into an event with the help of the City of Sonoma, Valley of the Moon Water District, Sonoma Ecology Center, Napa Resource Conservation District, and Southern Sonoma County Resource Conservation District. The purpose is to educate Sonoma Valley and Napa Valley residents on the importance of conserving water. Vendor booths will display water products, show off new innovations, and inform the public on their uses. In addition, vendors have been asked to send bilingual staff, so many translators will be on hand to answer questions.
The following is the speaker schedule for the event:
10:00 Water in Sonoma County: its journey to and from your home, Brian Michelson, SCWA
10:30 Rebates to Assist You in Becoming More Water Efficient, Carrie Pollard, SCWA
10:40 Sonoma County Greywater Regulations Dewayne Starnes, County of Sonoma, PRMD
11:20 City of Sonoma Greywater Regulation Joe Burroughs, City of Sonoma
11:40 Landscaping with Natives Mark Newhouser, Sonoma Ecology Center
12:30 Drip Irrigation for Your Home Garden Joel Grogan, Sonoma Ecology Center, QWEL Certified
12:50 Water Wise Plants, Sonoma County Master Gardeners
1:10 Your Watershed is a Changing Climate, Lisa Micheli, Sonoma Ecology Center
1:30 Low Impact Development with a stormwater focus, Jack Betourne, Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District
1:50 City of Napa Water Conservation Program, Pat Costello, City of Napa