Free classes help you go native...and save water

Attend two FREE Naturescaping for Clean Rivers workshops to learn how to naturescape your yard. Naturescaping features native plants, natural landscapes and water-friendly gardening practices.

The Basic workshop includes a short outdoor field trip to a nearby home or community project to see naturescaping in action. The Site Planning I workshop gives participants experience with the steps involved in planning a landscape or project. Learn how to map your property, assess your garden style and needs, do some “garden dreaming” and work on a landscape design scenario.

• Naturescaping Basic Workshop
  Saturday, November 3, 9 a.m.—1 p.m.
  River House at Rood Bridge Park, Hillsboro
  Pre-registration is required by calling (503) 797-1842 or via email at naturescaping@yahoo.com by October 31.

• Naturescaping Site Planning I (Basic class is prerequisite)
  Saturday, December 1, 9 a.m.—1 p.m.
  River House at Rood Bridge Park, Hillsboro
  Pre-registration is required by calling (503) 797-1842 or via email at naturescaping@yahoo.com by November 28.
  

The Naturescaping for Clean Rivers workshops are sponsored by the Tualatin Basin Partners for Clean Water, Joint Water Commission and City of Hillsboro Parks & Recreation.

Test your local streams

Being a hall monitor isn’t that great, but being a water monitor is easy, fun and good for the environment. Get involved in World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD), an international outreach program held each year between September 18 and October 18. The program engages communities in monitoring the condition of local rivers, streams and other water bodies. WWMD is nationally sponsored by the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and locally by Clean Water Services.

It’s easy to participate, just follow these steps:

• Register your site on the WEF website.
• Get you monitoring kit from Clean Water Services or order your own from WEF.
• Monitor your site.
• Report your data through WEF.

If you have a community group, volunteer organization or classroom, we are giving away a limited number of WWMD kits to test pH levels, dissolved oxygen and other watershed indicators. Contact Ely Teragli at (503) 681-4463 if you are interested.

Practice proper pool purging

As the summer winds down, many folks start prepping their yards for cooler days by winterizing their gardens and emptying pools and hot tubs. Remember that discharging chlorinated pool & spa water into storm drains is lethal for fish and other aquatic life since storm drains lead to our rivers and streams. For proper disposal, follow these steps:

1. Discharge chlorinated water into the sanitary sewer or septic tank with your backflushing pool filter.
2. If discharge to a sanitary sewer is not possible, hold the chlorinated water in your pool or hot tub for two weeks to allow the chlorine to dissipate. Then dispose of water onto the ground. Ensure it does not flow over other properties.
3. Read the Department of Environmental Quality's guidelines for proper disposal of chlorinated water.