EPCOR, in cooperation with the Watershed Management Group (WMG), is bringing the “Hydrate” series of classes to Fountain Hills. April is “Water Awareness Month”, so hydrate your neighborhood with this landscape project series. Topics include:
April 1: Hydrate Your Yard
This session is all about WMG’s 3 "S"s: slow, spread, and sink. Learn how to use passive rainwater harvesting to create a series of berms, basins, and swales that will direct rainwater to beneficial use for plants while reducing flooding and erosion in your yard. These practices will slow the flow of the water, spread it across the areas where it’s needed, and sink it into the ground.
Class project: Rain garden sizing and placement.
April 8: Hydrate Your Plants
How can you create a beautiful, lush landscape while conserving water? We’ll show you how to select native plants to build wildlife habitat, shade your home, and create an appealing landscape for your yard. If you’re looking for the best trees and plants to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, bloom bright with color, or cool off your home with shade, we’ve got you covered.
Class project: Plant plan for your home – type, location, and benefits of native plants you will use.
April 15: Hydrate Your Food
Rain tanks are like rain barrels, only upgraded: bigger, better, and your harvested rainwater lasts longer. While most rain barrels hold about 50 gallons of water, rain tanks can hold 1,000 gallons or more, capturing water from several storms and storing it for use over the course of many drier months. WMG will show you how to use rain tanks as an active form of rainwater harvesting to nourish your vegetable and herb gardens throughout the year.
Class project: Action plan for size and type of tank needed to support your garden.
April 21: Hydrate Your Soils
Urban yards have the potential to produce well beyond their natural productivity without needing costly store products by integrating the use of typical waste streams such as greywater, stormwater, plant trimmings, and more. You’ll learn how to assess your yard’s soil type and simple ways to effectively use typical household wastes to build soil health and promote productive urban landscapes.
Class project: Soil resource plan.
April 29: Hydrate with Greywater
Did you know that an average household’s laundry water produces enough greywater to support a backyard fruit tree? We’ll show you how to use a laundry-to-landscape system to recycle this greywater for use in your yard to nourish plants and reduce your municipal water usage. This session will cover best practices for greywater use and will guide you to creating a greywater action plan for your home.
Class project: Greywater action plan.
These classes are FREE- attend one or all! Classes to be held 7 pm – 830 pm at the Fountain Hills Community Center, 13001 N La Montana Dr., Fountain Hills, AZ 85268
Please register by sending an email to: conservation@epcor.com or https://watershedmg.org/hydrate/register-for-all