St. Johns River Water Management District

News Release

nr09-053

District to sponsor four irrigation workshops in September

PALATKA, Fla., Aug. 21, 2009 - The St. Johns River Water Management District and the national Irrigation Association (IA) are joining forces to provide training for irrigation contractors who plan to design and install irrigation systems for Florida Water StarSM-certified projects.

Similar to the federal Energy Star program, but with a water conservation focus, the District's Florida Water StarSM certification program is for new and existing homes that encourages water efficiency in household appliances, plumbing fixtures, irrigation systems and landscapes. The program promotes water efficiency by offering a third-party certified inspection.

The Florida Water StarSM Irrigation Contractor Workshops will teach participants how to design and install an efficient irrigation system that meets Florida Water StarSM criteria. The workshops are free of charge to irrigation contractors and the educational materials are specific to Florida's landscape needs. The workshops will be taught by an IA instructor who has experience designing systems in Florida.

"This is an industry-recognized workshop that would normally be quite expensive," said Deirdre Irwin, the District's Florida Water StarSM coordinator. "The District is sponsoring this program because the agency has a strong commitment to educate irrigation contractors about water conservation."

Workshops will be held on the following dates:

• Sept. 10-11, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., JEA Conservation Center, 970 N. Main St., Jacksonville
• Sept. 15-16, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Ormond Beach Public Works Training Room, 501 N. Orchard St., Ormond Beach (Ormond Beach workshop attendees will be eligible for continuing education credits for their Volusia County irrigation licenses.)
• Sept. 22-23, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., OUC Customer Service Center, 100 W. Anderson St., Orlando
• Sept. 24-25, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Division of Forestry office, 5353 N.W. 39th Ave., Gainesville

To register for this free workshop, contact Donna Simpson at dsimpson@sjrwmd.com or (386) 329-4296.

Visit floridawaterstar.com for additional information about the Florida Water StarSM program.

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