Become an EPA WaterSense Certified Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper at Chino Basin Water Conservation District.
The Chino Basin Water Conservation District subsidizes most of the cost of providing this training in order to make this valuable information accessible to landscape professionals. The registration cost is only $50, which includes the textbook.
The Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper professional certification provides landscape professionals with 20 hours of education on local water supply, sustainable landscaping, soils, landscape water budgets, irrigation system components and maintenance, irrigation system audits, and scheduling and controller programming. In order to obtain the QWEL certification, an individual must demonstrate their ability to perform an irrigation system audit (exercise included in the course) as well as pass the QWEL exam (offered on the last day). The list of topics covered in the QWEL curriculum includes:
- Where Our Water Comes From
- Sustainable Landscaping
- Soils
- Landscape Water
- Irrigation Systems
- Irrigation Maintenance & Trouble Shooting
- Irrigation System Auditing
- Irrigation Scheduling
- Irrigation Controllers
- Bringing It All Together
Most participants pass the exam on the last day. For those who do not, participants can schedule to take the exam again at no additional cost.
Two hours or continuing education (CEUs) are required each year to maintain certification. CEUs are easy to obtain at landscape industry trainings or seminars, and can also be obtained by attending any of the many free classes offered at the Chino Basin Water Conservation District / Waterwise Community Center. For more on CEUs, visit here.
For upcoming course dates offered at the Chino Basin Water Conservation District, visit here.
To put your contact information on our professional landscape contact list to be notified of future QWEL dates and our other professional development classes, fill out the form here.