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<h1><span class="p">It's Time To Dig Into Fall Planting Projects!</span></h1>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span class="p"><a title="Slideshow" href="/outdoors/landscapes/plants"><img src="/sites/default/files/images/tout-slideshow.jpg" alt="Waterwise Plant Slide" title="Waterwise Plant Slide" width="225" height="171" align="left" /></a></span>Fall is a great time to plant in the Portland metro area. The soil has not yet cooled off from the warmer summer months, and the soft autumn rains allow new plants to start establishing their roots with little to no supplemental watering.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Ready to roll up your sleeves, but unsure of what to plant? Let our waterwise <a title="Water Efficient Plant Guide" href="/sites/default/files/resources/guides/Plant_guide.pdf">plant guide</a> and new <a title="Waterwise Slide Show" href="/outdoors/landscapes/plants">slide show</a> spark your imagination!</p>
<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span class="p">How Water Smart Are You?</span></h1>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span class="p"><span class="p"><a title="H2O House" href="/h2ohouse"><img src="/sites/default/files/images/h2ohouse.jpg" alt="H2O House" title="H2O House" width="250" height="169" /></a></span></span></h1>
<p><span class="p">Take a room-by-room <span class="p"><span class="p"><a href="/h2ohouse">tour</a> of our water house and find </span></span></span><span class="p">conservation tips that will help you save water, time and money.</span> </p>
<h1><span class="p">Kids Learn About Saving Water</span></h1>
<p style="text-align: left;">Students in Charlie Hyman’s class at Arbor School in Tualatin spent part of their summer learning about outdoor water use and then retrofitting an existing sprinkler system to water more efficiently.</p>
<p><img src="/sites/default/files/images/news/kids_irr_audit.jpg" alt="Kids Irrigation Audit" title="Kids Irrigation Audit" width="144" height="99" align="right" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">"The Consortium’s watering gauges were great!  We used them during the first week to measure coverage patterns of various sprinkler types,” said Mr. Hyman. “During the third week we used them to verify that our installed sprinklers were actually doing what we expected. The program was immensely successful."  </p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Is your class doing something cool with water or water conservation? If so, <a href="mailto:rwpcinfo@water.ci.portland.or.us">tell us</a> about it!  </p>
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<p class="h3" style="padding-top: 0; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;"><strong>Sept. 22: Energy &amp; Water Efficiency - Double Your Savings</strong><br />Learn about energy efficiency and water conservation concepts and strategies that could potentially help you to improve your bottom line. <a title="Workshop Info" href="/content/energy-and-water-efficiency-double-your-savings">More Info</a></p>
<p class="h3" style="padding-top: 0; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;"><br /><strong>Dec. 3: Oregon Landscape Contractors Association (OLCA)  EXPO</strong>  <br />Participants are invited to join the Consortium for a <a title="OLCA workshop info" href="/content/oregon-landscape-contractors-association-olca-%E2%80%93-expo">workshop</a> focused on emerging waterwise landscaping technologies and examples of locally conducted case studies. </p>
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<p class="h3" style="padding-top: 0; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;"><strong>Save the Date! Water Lean, Grow Green</strong></p>
<p class="h3" style="padding-top: 0; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;">FREE - March 24 &amp; 31, 2010. <a title="More info on workshops" href="/news/workshops">More Info</a></p>
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<p class="h3" style="padding-top: 0; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;">Visit <a href="/news/eventcalendar">www.conserveh2o.org</a> for a complete list of FREE workshops and events. Topics include a variety of waterwise and natural gardening tips and techniques.</p>
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<p class="h3" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0;">We've compiled these tips to help you reduce water usage while keeping your landscape healthy and thriving this fall, and throughout the rest of the year. </p>
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<div class="h3" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0;">Aerate lawns to encourage deep root growth.<br /></div>
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<div class="h3" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0;">Compost leaves and other garden debris to create healthy mulch for spring. <br /></div>
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<div class="h3" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0;">Bring tender perennials inside or under cover.  Wrap pots to help prevent breakage from winter freezing.<br /></div>
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<div class="h3" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0;">Consider replacing parking strips or other lawn areas with low water use plants and ornamental grasses.</div>
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<p class="h3" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0;">Visit <a href="/">www.conserveh2o.org</a> for more water conservation tips.</p>
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<p><a href="/about"><img src="/images/news/1007/hl_rwpc.gif" alt="Regional Water Providers Consortium" width="225" height="70" /></a><br /><span class="p"><a href="/about">The Consortium</a> provides planning and management support for the Portland metro region's municipal water supplies. <a href="/about/contact">Contact us</a>.</span></p>
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