• Water Quality
• Water Supply
• Wastewater
• Recycled Water
• Backflow Prevention
• Urban Runoff
• Facilities
• Urban Water Management Plan
• Research Business Plan

Water Now. Secured Future.

IRWD's drinking water comes from two primary sources: local groundwater and imported water. The blending of these sources varies according to the time of year and your geographic location within the District. In addition, IRWD has a robust recycled water program. Every drop of recycled water used for irrigation or other non-potable purposes saves drinking water. The District's diversified supply ensures a reliable water supply during times of drought, regulatory constraints and other emergencies. Additionally, our diverse water supply portfolio helps to keep rates as low as possible. 

Groundwater

Approximately 48 percent of our overall supply comes from local groundwater wells in the Orange County Groundwater Basin, and the Irvine and Lake Forest sub-basins. For many years, IRWD received almost all of our water from imported sources. To alleviate this dependency on costly imported water, began to develop a series of local wells in 1979. The Dyer Road Wellfield Project extracts low-cost, high-quality water from deep within the Orange County Groundwater Basin. IRWD now operates 25 groundwater wells within our service area.

Imported Water

Approximately 27 percent of IRWD’s water is purchased through the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), a regional water wholesaler that delivers imported water from Northern California and the Colorado River.

State Water Project
The State Water Project, also known as the California Aqueduct, transports water 600 miles from Northern California to the southern portion of the state. It is owned and operated by the State of California and is the longest aqueduct system in the world, featuring 23 dams and reservoirs, 22 pumping plants that lift water to heights of 3,500 feet, and six power plants. The aqueduct is comprised of 473 miles of canals, 175 miles of pipeline and 20 miles of tunnels.

Colorado River Project
The Colorado River Aqueduct brings water 242 miles from the Colorado River through deserts and over mountain ranges to its terminal reservoir, Lake Mathews, in Riverside County. The aqueduct system includes five pumping plants that lift the water 1,617 feet.

Recycled Water

IRWD produces approximately 21 percent of our supply by capturing water that normally would run out to sea, treating it, and reusing it for irrigation and other non-potable, or non-drinking, uses. We also supplement our supplies by cleaning non-potable groundwater to make it suitable for irrigation. Every gallon of recycled water and cleaned groundwater we use saves a gallon of drinking water.