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Chino Basin Water Conservation District (CBWCD) will begin offering Spanish language Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL) training for the first time beginning in May. This is an opportunity for Spanish speaking professionals to earn an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense certificate in water wise landscaping practices.
The new Spanish training will be offered from May 3-14 and will provide approximately 20 hours of water education. CBWCD has offered this QWEL training in English since January 2015 and have received praise for the training.
“As a landscape design professional with 20 years’ experience in the field and advanced degrees in both plant sciences and landscape architecture, I was highly impressed with both the breadth and depth of content provided in Chino Basin Water Conservation District’s QWEL course,” said Lee Krusa with the Claremont Environmental Design Group. “The custom material specific to our region, the staff and outside industry professional presenters all exceeded my expectations and I would highly recommend the course to all regional landscape designers and contractors.”
QWEL, an EPA WaterSense labeled certification, provides landscape professionals with information specifically tailored to the Chino Basin area including principals of proper plant selection for the local climate, irrigation system design and maintenance, and irrigation system programming and operation. The information will aid contractors’ understanding the particular characteristics of their clients’ sites and plants thereby maximizing the use of California’s limited water supplies.
The course will address California’s on-going drought and the need to meet state-mandated water restrictions. The training will provide practical, hands-on training to contractors and design professionals who are responsible for designing sites and determining landscape water use.
Graduates of this course will have improved marketing prospects and will also have the opportunity to be listed as a certified QWEL contractor on both the QWEL and CBWCD web pages (www.qwel.net and www.cbwcd.org.) QWEL certification allows anyone needing water-wise landscaping—homeowners, developers, cities, businesses—to select a knowledge contractor.
Classes at CBWCD are limited to approximately 30 people per session. However, Becky Rittenburg, Community Program Manager at CBWCD, has indicated that the water district will arrange additional classes, in the near future, if demand exceeds the class limitations. Additionally, CBWCD will work to set-up classes at on-site locations for large groups such as municipalities, landscaping companies and water districts as requested.
The new Spanish language classes will be held over an 11-day period, as follows:
Week 1
- Tuesday, May 3 4-8 pm
- Thursday, May 5 4-8 pm
- Saturday, May 7 9 am-3 pm
Week 2
- Tuesday, May 10 4-8 pm
- Thursday, May 12 4-8 pm
- Saturday, May 14 9 am-1 pm
The above classes will be held at CBWCD at 4594 San Bernardino St., Montclair. Cost is $150 per person. To learn more and to add your name to the interest list, please visit www.cbwcd.org/QWEL. Interested individuals can also call 909-626-2711 to register. Se habla español. New English language classes will begin in June.
