San Marcos—On Wednesday, August 27 from 6 to 8 pm, the City of San Marcos, Olivenhain Municipal Water District and Vallecitos Water District will be hosting a free fire-wise landscape workshop. Workshop attendees will learn about protecting their home from fires while reducing water used for irrigation by installing fire-resistant, drought tolerant landscapes.
“The Vallecitos Water District is honored to be a part of this partnership,” said VWD Board President Hal Martin. “By working together, we can provide more residents with valuable tools to save our most precious resource while being prepared for the realities of living in the fire prone region that we call home.”
The workshop will be taught by local native plant expert and author Greg Rubin and will cover the basic principles of landscape zoning and hydration with an overview of plant selection, installation, watering and maintenance.
With San Diego County in the midst of a Level 2 drought alert, it is important that homeowners do their part to conserve water and prepare properties for dry weather conditions.
“Suburban and urban landscapes can influence how fire spreads and behaves,” said San Marcos Fire Chief Brett Van Wey. “In light of the existing drought conditions, building fire-wise landscapes have become more important than ever to protect our communities.”
This year’s record-breaking heat and exceptionally dry weather are not only challenging in terms of water supply but these conditions have set the scene for the most active fire season to date.
“Our customers are very familiar with the destructive capabilities of wildfires, and being prepared for the next fire is especially important during this hot, dry fire season,” stated OMWD Board Secretary Jerry Varty. “Installing fire-wise landscaping is a cost-effective step that customers can take to protect their homes against fires and conserve water.”
The primary goal for fire-wise landscaping is limiting the level of flammable vegetation and other natural materials surrounding the home and increasing the moisture content of remaining vegetation to reduce the risk of wildfires.
For more information or to reserve a seat please visit, www.olivenhain.com/events or call 760-632-4641.
