Santa Margarita Water District’s 2025 Water Festival made a big splash on Saturday, June 7, drawing more than 2,700 customers, families, and community partners to a fun-filled, educational celebration of our most precious resource—water. 

From hands-on activities to behind-the-scenes infrastructure tours, the event brought neighbors and friends together to learn, explore, and connect with community organizations and SMWD, their water provider. 

Rod, who lives in Rancho Santa Margarita, attended the Water Festival for the first time along with his grandchildren. “What a fun experience! It was great to learn about what SMWD does behind the scenes,” he said.

Rod signed up for two infrastructure bus tours led by SMWD’s chief engineer and a senior operations leader. He was also thrilled to speak with the technicians and see the pumps and equipment that keep water flowing up close and personal. “I may have had more fun than the kids,” he said.

From holding reptiles to touring the WaterWorks Garden, a Monarch butterfly habitat featuring five blooming landscape styles, and enjoying complimentary pizza and shaved ice, the event was bustling with activity and life.

Throughout the event, the video The Journey of Water: From River to Tap played on large-screen monitors. The award-winning video tells the story of how water travels from hundreds of miles away and how SMWD delivers local, sustainable, and reliable drinking water and wastewater services to over 210,000 customers in southern Orange County. 

For those who attended the Water Festival, it was a memorable day full of discovery.

“Water is something we all depend on but rarely think about. When neighbors come together to learn, ask questions, and explore what we do—it’s powerful. That connection is what this event is all about,” said Nicole Stanfield, SMWD Director of Communications and Customer Engagement, who organizes the annual event. 

Save the Date: 2026 Water Festival Saturday May 16, 2026