Costa Mesa : Water Issues Focus of Workshop Series

A series of 11 free, monthly workshops on water issues, including recent, drought-induced conservation deadlines, will be offered by the Mesa Consolidated Water District beginning later this month.

The Water Issues Study Group has attracted residents ranging from college students to retirees over the past three or four years, district spokeswoman Mary Urashima said.

Conservation will probably dominate the discussion now that regional supplies are being reduced and mandatory deadlines for achieving specific conservation goals have been adopted.

The workshops are designed to offer more than the usual exhortation to turn off the tap while brushing your teeth.

“People are interested in water-related issues and the politics of water,” Urashima said. “Our office has been getting a number of calls from residents and businesses about how this (conservation deadline) is going to affect them.”

The program will start with a history of water use in California and then focus on local use, Urashima said. Experts will discuss low-water landscaping, ground water and reclamation.

Participants will tour water treatment facilities, including a well site where ozone is used to reduce rose-colored molecules that, although harmless, are not aesthetically acceptable to water customers, Urashima said.

Participants also will visit reservoirs and wells and will be advised of tours offered by other water districts throughout the state.

Water district officials also will help participants evaluate their own water consumption.

The first workshop is scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 23 at the district’s offices at 1965 Placentia Ave. The monthly meetings are usually held at the same time and place on the third Wednesday of the month. For more information, call (714) 631-1205.