OCTOBER 2020
IN THIS ISSUE:
Welcome to the Municipal Water District of Orange County’s (MWDOC) October 2020 eCurrents newsletter. Join us on October 21, 2020, along with citizens across the nation in celebrating the sixth annual Imagine a Day Without Water event, an education campaign aimed to raise awareness about the vital role water plays in our everyday lives. In this issue, we offer free outreach tools to support your participation in the campaign and help inspire our Orange County communities. We also take a closer look at the MyVolunteer Water Project—MWDOC’s partnership with the Wyland Foundation designed to assist Orange County residents with volunteer-based projects that support healthy waterways and efficient water use. And finally, in case you missed it, we offer a recap of the September 23 Virtual MWDOC Water Policy Forum featuring keynote speaker Michael George, Delta Watermaster, State Water Resources Control Board. All of this and several other exciting announcements, program updates, and more is covered in this latest issue of eCurrents. As always, if you have any comments or suggested topics for future articles, please send us an email at mwdocinfo@mwdoc.com. Thank you for subscribing!
MWDOC is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors. To learn more, click on the icon above, or visit our website at www.mwdoc.com.
For a complete list of upcoming and archived MWDOC meetings, click on the calendar icon above, or visit our website at www.mwdoc.com.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
2020 IMAGINE A DAY WITHOUT WATER
October 21, 2020

Imagine a Day Without Water is an annual education campaign that encourages citizens throughout the nation to think about their relationship to water, and how vital it is to their everyday lives. On October 21, 2020, organizations across the country will come together to raise awareness about the value of water through social media posts, virtual events, news releases, and community partnerships. Sign up to participate, or download resources through the campaign website.

To support our Orange County community, MWDOC has also prepared a media kit with campaign tips and outreach templates available here.
OC IS GARDEN SMART!
Quick Video Garden Tips

OC’s semi-arid climate supports the diverse landscapes that are enjoyed here, including coastal, canyon, mountainous, and metropolitan areas. Successful gardens and landscapes in these areas require a range of water and garden smart know-how, and OC residents and businesses are increasingly up to the challenge. MWDOC has partnered with UCCE Master GardenersOrange County Coastkeeper, and local nurseries to bring you quick garden tips that offer three important benefits: water savings, wellbeing, and garden smart know-how.

Vegetable Garden
Orange County Coastkeeper Garden Director, Marianne Hugo, shares how to grow a vegetable garden at home.
Drip Irrigation
Orange County Coastkeeper Garden Specialist, Isabel Hernandez, discusses the advantages of drip irrigation.
Smart Plants
Orange County Coastkeeper Garden Specialist, Isabel Hernandez, reveals her two favorite native plants.
FEATURED ARTICLES
OC IS WATER SMART, AND GARDEN SMART!
Tiffany Baca, Public Affairs Manager, MWDOC

Across the world, nurseries, garden centers, and seed distributors continue to see a soar in customers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Budding new gardeners have a variety of reasons for taking up this age-old activity, including relieving stress, connecting with nature, growing food, exercise, creating teachable moments for their children, spending quality time with family, and many more. While Orange County (OC) residents and businesses alike have adopted a water smart lifestyle, collectively saving over 17 billion gallons of water each year...READ MORE
MWDOC AND WYFO PARTNER ONCE AGAIN FOR CLEAN, HEALTHY WATER
Steve Creech, President, Wyland Foundation

The Wyland Foundation (WYFO) and the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) have announced a new partnership designed to assist Orange County individuals, school groups, and companies with volunteer-based home and community projects that support healthier waterways and more efficient water use. The program, MyVolunteer Water Project, is free to everyone, and there are several ways to participate. Individuals, or teams made up of friends, family, schoolmates, or coworkers are encouraged to take action by selecting hands-on, easy-to-do activities that can make a significant difference on the quality of life for our communities, wildlife, and neighbors downstream. As an added bonus, people who undertake a project will help accrue extra points for their city in the Wyland National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation...READ MORE
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
DELTA WATERMASTER MICHAEL GEORGE ADDRESSES HUNDREDS STATEWIDE AT MWDOC VIRTUAL WATER POLICY FORUM
September 23, 2020

Over two hundred individuals from across California joined the Municipal Water District of Orange County’s first Virtual Water Policy Forum to hear Delta Watermaster Michael George speak about the current, and future state of California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta). Following Mr. George’s presentation, there was a thoughtful discussion between he and the audience regarding the Delta's role in California’s water supply needs, ending with three key takeaways:

  1. The Delta can't be preserved in its current configuration; there are too many dynamic forces at work.
  2. While climate change is the long-term threat, impacts will be experienced as black swan events.
  3. Durable management of the fragile Delta requires finding consensus, not “winning” in court.

The MWDOC Virtual Water Policy Forum recording has been published on the MWDOC YouTube channel and can be accessed via the following link: https://youtu.be/UTT29CHlJQE
MWDOC RECOGNIZED WITH EPA WATERSENSE EXCELLENCE AWARD
Promoting WaterSense Labeled Products

The Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) has earned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense Excellence Award for promoting WaterSense labeled products through three different consumer-based rebate programs that assist the Orange County community in their commitment to save water. In 2019, MWDOC provided homeowners, businesses, and public agencies with rebates for over 7,000 WaterSense labeled toilets and urinals, and more than 2,500 WaterSense labeled irrigation controllers. Since 2006, WaterSense partners have helped save 3.4 trillion gallons of water. This is the second time in 5 years that MWDOC has earned this recognition.
PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT
MWDOC GRAB-AND-GO WATER ACTIVITIES
For Orange County K-12 Teachers, Parents, and Students

The Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) has partnered with the Orange County Department of Education to develop hands-on “Grab-and-Go” water activities that connect students to their local environment by getting them outside, away from their computers, and thinking carefully about their connection to the world around them. Designed for Orange County K-12 teachers, parents, and students, these free, self-guided activities encourage students to make smart decisions to protect the natural resources we depend on every single day. The MWDOC Grab-and-Go Water Activities are also offered to teachers through the MWDOC K-12 Choice School Program, and can be done in the classroom, or at home with the whole family. Activities include: building a water filter, constructing a water delivery system, exploring the Bay Delta ecosystem, at home water audit, and more.

NEWS RELEASES
MWDOC APPOINTS DIRECTOR TAMARIBUCHI TO METROPOLITAN BOARD
August 10, 2020

The Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) Board of Directors announced the appointment of Board President, Satoru (Sat) Tamaribuchi, to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) Board of Directors. Director Tamaribuchi will take the seat formerly held by Brett R. Barbre, who retired from the board this spring. “Sat has been immersed in water and related issues most of his career,” said MWDOC’s Senior Metropolitan Director, Larry Dick...READ MORE
FAVORITE TWEETS AND POSTS
Did you know? You can use up to 50-70% less water outdoors when you switch from grass to water efficient and California friendly landscaping! Learn how to transform your yard by attending FREE landscape workshops. #OCisWaterSmart || Learn more: greengardensgroup.com/turf-transformation - Twitter, August 31
THIS WEDNESDAY! FREE VIRTUAL EVENT - DON'T FORGET TO RSVP! Please join us on Wednesday, September 23, 2020, for a very special MWDOC Water Policy Forum as we welcome keynote speaker Michael George, Delta Watermaster, State Water Resources Control Board. Mr. George will reflect on the past year’s developments with Delta Conveyance, and discuss future projects that will enhance Southern California’s water supplies and reliability. 
 #MWDOCWPF - Facebook, September 22
Did you know? Some of Orange County's drinking water starts as rain and snowfall in Wyoming! The runoff flows down the Colorado River, and is pumped to us via the Colorado River Aqueduct. #Water #Infrastructure #ColoradoRiver #OCisWaterSmart || Learn more: bit.ly/MWDOC-ColoradoRiver - Facebook, September 12