Free water class offered by district

Andrew Glazer

COSTA MESA -- A free six-month class about water, sponsored by the Mesa

Consolidated Water District, began Wednesday and drew more than 20

students.

The class, despite its less than enticing name -- “Water Issues Study

Group” -- attracted students that included retirees, irrigation vendors,

environmentalists and teachers, said Coleen Scarminach, an instructor.

“We’re living in a desert and using water,” she said. “People need to

know where the water comes from and how they can best use the water we

have.”

The class -- which features lectures titled “Water Quality and Innovation

in Wise Water Use” and “Groundwater and Reclaimed Water: Important

Resources for Mesa,” -- is one of very few offered by California water

districts, Scarminach said. It costs the district approximately $2,500

each year to offer the class -- most of which is spent on publicity,

Scarminach said.

Scarminach said water experts will lead discussions on water legislation,

including an initiative on the March ballot that could provide more than

$1.7 billion in state funds to improve water quality in Southern

California.

The Mesa Consolidated Water District has offered the class -- which also

includes tours of the district’s offices, reservoir sites and a water

treatment plant -- for 14 years.

Costa Mesa resident Mark Mehren, who is an engineer for Boeing, said

he found out about the lecture series from a flier the district had

slipped into his water bill.

He decided to enroll because he was curious about dams and tubes he

noticed while water-skiing on the Colorado River. He said it looked like

the water was being channeled to somewhere in Southern California.

“I wondered where it all was going and what it’s used for,” he said.

All classes are held at the district’s office at 1965 Placentia Ave. in

Costa Mesa.

For information on the curriculum or class schedules, call (949)

631-1205.