Citrus Heights Water District In The Community
Connecting with Community
At Citrus Heights Water District, we are committed to the communities we serve. We offer several programs that support community engagement and resources that help customers of all ages learn the importance of water efficiency and conservation.
We invite you to join us!
Community Garden Corps
CHWD has acquired plots at the Sylvan Ranch Community Garden to showcase water-efficient garden practices. We are looking for volunteers to help us maintain these plots. If you are interested, please sign up for more information below:
School Programs
Citrus Heights Water District partners with schools within its service area to educate children about the importance of water conservation and how they can help conserve water.
We offer one-hour interactive classroom presentations to demonstrate how students can conserve water every day. The classroom presentations are tailored for grades K-3, 4-6 and 7-8.
The presentation for grades K-3 includes watching a video and learning about the water cycle.
The presentation for grades 4-6 includes watching a video, learning about the water cycle, how water is treated before it reaches our homes, where our water comes from, and water conservation. This presentation also includes an exciting experiment on how dirty water is cleaned.
The junior high presentation (grades 7-8) focuses on a groundwater model that shows how water flows through the ground and the different layers of rock, granite and sand it must travel through. During the presentation, colored dye is injected into the groundwater model to simulate water percolation, and how it travels and spreads through our groundwater supply.
CHWD conducts an annual poster contest in which students in grades 4-6 can submit a poster showing the different ways they conserve water, with a different theme every year.
Winners are announced at a CHWD Board of Directors meeting and receive their framed artwork and a CHWD t-shirt. The first-place winner also receives a $100 award, and runner-ups receive $50 awards. In addition, the teachers of the winners each receive $100 for their classroom.
The winning drawings are included in the annual water conservation calendar for the following year. Watch the video below featuring the winners of 2021-2022 poster contest.
For more information on CHWD’s poster contest, please call (916) 735-7727.
Citrus Heights Water District Events
We believe community involvement makes a stronger community. We invite you to join us in our community events and to attend our monthly Board of Directors meetings.
WaterSmart Classes
Free WaterSmart Classes
CHWD is committed to helping you learn how to reduce your landscape water usage, lowering your costs. We offer Free WaterSmart Classes virtually via Zoom or in-person at the Sylvan Ranch Community Garden. Check out our 2023 class schedule below and stay tuned for registration links.
- From Greywater to Green Garden: How to Reuse
Your Home's Water to Help Your Garden Thrive
Tuesday, April 18, 2023 | 12:00 - 1:00pm
Hosted online via Zoom
Is greywater right for you? Come find out with this course. Learn about the two primary greywater system types, including methods, materials, components, and costs. In addition, the course will cover California code definitions, limitations, and specifics, along with resources for a DIY no-permit laundry to landscape system. Lastly, learn about trees and plants that love greywater, and your local water data source to determine your indoor and outdoor gallons per day usage. The course will end with a Q & A session.
- Colossal Compost, Miraculous Mulch, Spectacular Soil
Thursday, May 11 | 12:00 - 1:00 PM
Hosted online via ZoomCompost, mulch, and other horticultural practices applied appropriately will inspire collaboration between your plant’s roots and soil biology to develop a diverse living soil ecosystem where all can flourish. Healthy living soils yield vibrant, drought and pest-resistant plants that require less maintenance and irrigation while reducing or eliminating pest problems. Discoveries to be made while attending this seminar include:
- Dust off the dirt to reveal the functions of a healthy “living” soil food web and how you fit in.
- Tools and techniques that allow you to engage with the living soil to help them nurture your plants.
- Transforming green waste into a resource is best done at home. It’s time to retire that green/organic waste bin. Master how to cook handcrafted compost into the best soil amendment available, and it’s free.
- Unearth the good, the bad, and the snugly aspects of mulch:
- How mulch creates a worm and cuddly home for plant roots as well as providing a myriad of other perks.
- What materials make a good mulch and others best to avoid?
- Guidelines for mulch application to obtain the maximum benefits while avoiding potential pitfalls.
Colossal Compost and Miraculous Mulch will assist you in creating a Spectacular Soil full of happy, healthy, drought and pest-resistant plants, animals, and other yet undiscovered life forms that reside below your feet. Register and attend this seminar so you can transform your dirt into a soil symphony.
- Get in Line with Drip Irrigation
Saturday, September 9, 2023 | 10:00 - 11:00am
In-person at the Sylvan Ranch Community Garden - Plant into the Hydrozones for Healthy Plants and Water Savings
Wednesday, September 13, 2023 | 12:00 - 1:00pm
Hosted online via ZoomHave you ever impulsively bought a plant and then wondered where to plant it in your landscape? Stumped on how to choose plants that will thrive together?
Wondering how often to irrigate? Hydrozoning is a great design approach that will help plants thrive, save water and take some of the mystery out of irrigation. In this webinar you’ll learn:
- Tools for knowing the water needs of plants
- How to identify hydrozones in your yard
- How to irrigate your hydrozones
WaterSmart Webinar Library
If you missed any of our WaterSmart classes, we offer a library of resources with workshop handouts and class recordings. View them for FREE from our Video Gallery page or subscribe to our YouTube channel and get notified when a new video is posted.
Fall for Native Plants: Incorporating the Region's Flora into Your Garden
Fall is one of the best times of the year to establish new plants and update your garden. This season, consider planting native flora and learn how to do it from garden expert Christine Lewis. This in-person class will detail:
- Why fall’s weather allows for ideal planting conditions
- How to use native plants to attract pollinators
- What native plants are ideal for the region
- How to use native plants to make your landscape more drought tolerant
Workshop Handouts
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and get notified when the recording for this class is posted!
So You Planted A Garden, Now What?
Come and learn from landscape expert Jessy Parker and master gardener Ruth Ostroff as they discuss the challenges of adapting your garden through the seasons. This in-person class will discuss a basic planting plan for winter gardens including:
- Vegetable selection
- Timing of planting
- Soil preparation
- Planting methods and potential challenges
Workshop Handouts
- Sacramento Digs Gardening Article
- A Seasonal Guide to Vegetable Planting
- Planting Cole Crops
- Sacramento Vegetable Planting Schedule
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and get notified when the recording for this class is posted!
Turning Dirt into Gold: How to Build Healthy Soil
Nurturing soil is one of the best things you can do as a gardener. Plants thrive in soil that is teeming with life. Learn from soil expert Kit Veerkamp why this really matters and how to modify your soils to improve plant health, reduce water use, and minimize disease and pests. This webinar includes topics on:
- Soil basics: texture and structure
- The soil food web – making it work for you
- The roles of compost and mulch
- Making room for ground-dwelling beneficial insects and pollinators
Workshop Handout
Sprinkler Tune-Up Time
Now that the rainy season is over, it’s time to turn your sprinklers back on. How can you ensure you’re using water efficiently, especially while we’re still in a drought? In this class, sprinkler expert Jessy Parker will show you tips and tricks to visually check your irrigation system for long-term problems and simple hands-on steps to get your sprinklers “tuned-up” for spring.
Capturing That Rain for Your Landscape
When is it going to rain? Good question, and when it does, you’ll be ready to capture it, slow it, and keep it in your garden and out of storm drains. In this webinar with Cheryl Buckwalter, you’ll learn ways to hold onto this free resource and use it to give your soil and plants the water they need to stay healthy, even during unpredictable changes in our weather.
Workshop Handout
Growing Our CHWD Garden: A Look Back - And Forward
One year ago, Citrus Heights Water District constructed a demonstration garden at the Sylvan Ranch Community Garden. In this in-person event, we review our garden progress and learn from Plant & Water Efficiency expert Debby Figoni on:
- Water-efficient plant selection.
- How to care for your garden and landscape.
- How to deal with pests and other issues.
- How to create and maintain an efficient irrigation system.
Workshop Handouts
Tree Care 101
Trees provide beauty, a sense of place, shade, wildlife value, sequester carbon, and clean the air. In this information-packed webinar, first you’ll learn how to choose, purchase, and plant your young tree. Next, discover how to care for your tree by using smart watering and effective pruning strategies.
The Perfect Plants: What, Where & When
Find the perfect plants for your landscape with CHWD’s how-to’s: What to Plant, Where, and When. Our water efficiency pros will help you understand the basics of gardening in the Sacramento region, one step at a time.
Workshop Handouts
Garden-Friendly Pest Management, Weed Control & Soil Management
Learn about proper soil management methods and eco-friendly strategies you can use to reduce the invasion and support healthy soil and thriving, pest-resistant plants.
Smart Controller Basics
WaterSmart Gardens: Winterize Now, Prepare for Spring
Learn how to prepare your Sacramento Valley garden and yard for our Sacramento Valley winters with simple, water-saving tips presented by two local designers and watershed-wise landscape pros. Winter is the time to get a head start on creating a healthy garden for the coming spring and summer. You’ll learn what to do and understand why to apply these tips in your own WaterSmart garden including irrigation checks and fixes, plant maintenance, and mulch and soil amendments that ensure a healthy, bountiful, pest- and drought-resistant WaterSmart garden in the growing season ahead.
DIY Home Water Audit, From the Inside Out
Learn how to be more water efficient by completing your own indoor and outdoor home water audit. Participants will learn how to check for plumbing leaks and inefficient appliances inside the home, along with hearing valuable water efficiency tips. For their outdoor space, participants will learn how to check for mainline leaks, assess their irrigation and program a smart irrigation controller. In addition, find out about Citrus Heights Water District’s cost-saving water efficiency programs and rebates.
WaterSmart Show Stoppers: Meet the Plants
Now that you have a great support team (soil and efficient irrigation) working for your landscape, you can choose plants that support your yard’s own ecosystems! Plants that require less water and maintenance to thrive; plants that provide a rich habitat for pollinators and birds; and plants that create beauty. Create a beautiful, beneficial, bountiful, pest-resistant and drought-buster garden with great plants!
Workshop Handout
WaterSmart Irrigation: The Soil and Water Relationship
You’ve learned about healthy soil. The new step for a WaterSmart landscape is to unite efficient irrigation strategies with your soil type. Water moves and acts differently depending on the soil. Learn how to use low-flow drip layouts that will work best for your soil. Soil and water can work together to meet your plants’ needs while managing your water use.
Workshop Handouts
WaterSmart Foundation: Healthy Soil, Happy Landscape
Learn how to create a healthy, living soil to nourish your plants and yield a bountiful, beautiful, pest- and drought-resistant garden and landscape. Healthy soil is the foundation of every WaterSmart landscape.
Workshop Handout
WaterSmart Basics: Putting Your Green Plan Together
This webinar will take you through the process of creating a landscape plan using site information and a base plan for an actual landscape project. You’ll also learn how to make design decisions for irrigating efficiently, grouping and placing plants for optimum health, keeping water on your property by shaping the soil, and turning challenges into opportunities. Now you’ll have the ability to create a River-Friendly plan for your own yard. Webinar includes Q&A time and online resources.
Workshop Handouts
WaterSmart Basics: Groundwork for Creating Your Green Plan
Using an actual landscape project that’s designed based on River-Friendly Principles, we’ll step through the building blocks for creating your own Green Plan. Learn how to assess existing conditions: Soil, irrigation, slopes, water from roofs/surfaces, sun exposure, and plants because all parts of your landscape work together. Methods for how to measure your yard, consider its function, and identify challenges will be presented. You’ll learn how to use this information to create a base plan, the foundation of your design. Webinar includes Q&A time and online resources.
Workshop Handouts
Board of Directors Meeting
The Citrus Heights Water District Board of Directors meets at least once per month. Click here for information on upcoming Board of Directors Regular meetings.
Customer Advisory Committee
To help plan the future of water in our community and ensure that the alternatives considered address the needs and input from the communities we serve, CHWD has formed a Customer Advisory Committee (CAC). This committee works with a technical team to consider options to replace water mains and meters while analyzing key financial and technical issues. For more information on the CAC, please visit here.
Demonstration Garden
CHWD has developed a demonstration garden to help our customers make water-efficient plant choices. Visit our Garden page to explore the six planter boxes with different landscape themes; from Low Water California Native Plants to Moderate Water Edibles. The aerial garden photo on the page can be used as an education tool to help you choose water-efficient plants for your yard and garden.
