* A ccf, or one hundred cubic feet, is the basic measurement of water use. One ccf equals approximately 748 gallons.

Commodity charge
IRWD uses a tiered rate structure which rewards conservation. Water allocations are based on number of residents, landscape square footage and actual daily weather and evapotranspiration (ET) data for your area. Evapotranspiration is the amount of water that travels through turfgrass, and therefore the amount of water required for turf grass to be healthy and attractive. Turfgrass is the highest water-using plant in a landscape. Trees and shrubs use far less water than turfgrass, but IRWD's allocation system assumes that your entire landscape is covered in turfgrass. Therefore, your allocation contains more than enough water to meet the demands of your landscaping.

Variance Request
Variances, which increase the water allocation, are available for larger than average landscaped areas, more people living in the home or special medical needs. For additional information, please contact the District at (949) 453-5300.

Pumping Surcharge
A surcharge will be added to the commodity rate of those users who reside at higher elevations and cause the District to incur additional pumping costs to supply their water. The surcharge is based upon prevailing energy costs and currently varies from $0.16 to $0.42 per ccf depending upon the elevation of the area served. If you live in an area affected by a pumping surcharge it will be itemized on your monthly bill.

Saving Water Keeps Rates Low
When IRWD customers are efficient with their water use, IRWD can minimize purchases of expensive imported water from the Colorado River and Northern California. Avoiding these water purchases helps IRWD keep rates low. Currently, IRWD's water rates are among the lowest in Orange County.

What Happens to Penalty Dollars?
All penalties paid for excessive water use are kept separate from other District funding. Therefore, IRWD does not use this money to fund its day-to-day operations. Penalty money is used to fund conservation programs to help those receiving penalties become more efficient.

If You Receive a Penalty
If you receive a penalty on your water bill, please call IRWD at (949) 453-5633. Irvine Ranch Water District is ready to provide you with free services, education and the tools you need to use water wisely and to avoid penalties.

The entire text of the IRWD Rates and Charges document is available online. A complete table of commodity charges itemized by indoor and landscape allocations for detached homes, attached homes and apartments can be found in this document. It's in PDF format, which can be read with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Newly established residential accounts are charged a sewer rate of $16.60 per month. Water usage is reviewed each year on December 31 and when an account has established a 12-month history, sewer rates are adjusted accordingly. As a results, customers who use low volumes of water are charged lower sewer rates. For example, after the annual review, customers using an average of 0-5 ccf of water per month pay a $12.45 sewer rate, customers using an average of 5.01-10 ccf of water pay a $14.95 sewer rate; and customers who use an average of more than 10 ccf remain at the $16.60 monthly sewer rate.

A portion of Newport Coast pays $6 per month for sewer collection fees. Portola Hills customers pay $16.60 per month for sewer collection fees. Customers in certain parts of the IRWD service area are on septic tanks or receive sewer service from another agency and therefore do not pay a sewer charge on their IRWD bill.

The entire text of the IRWD Rates and Charges document is available online. It's in PDF format, which can be read with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.