NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
IRVINE RANCH WATER DISTRICT

PUBLIC HEARING ON THE STATUS OF VACANCIES AND RECRUITMENT
AND RETENTION EFFORTS OF THE IRVINE RANCH WATER DISTRICT

                  NOTICE is hereby given that the IRVINE RANCH WATER DISTRICT (IRWD) will hold a public hearing, in accordance with Government Code Section 3502.3, regarding the status of vacancies and recruitment and retention efforts undertaken by the District. The purpose of the hearing will be to share information and identify any necessary changes to policies, procedures, and recruitment activities that may be hampering hiring; to receive a presentation, if requested, from the employee organization that represents certain District positions; and to invite and solicit public comments on the status of vacancies and the recruitment and retention efforts of the District.

                  Government Code Section 3502.3 requires IRWD to hold a public hearing on the status of vacancies and recruitment and retention efforts undertaken by the District each fiscal year, and to identify any necessary changes to policies, procedures, and recruitment activities that may be hampering hiring.

                  Additional information about IRWD’s recruitment and retention efforts may be obtained by contacting IRWD’s Human Resources Department at (949) 453-5349, and additional information about this public hearing may be obtained by contacting Kristine Swan, IRWD’s District Secretary, at (949) 453-5300.

                  The Board of Directors of IRWD will hold the hearing on Monday evening, March 9, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as is reasonably practicable, in the Board Room of the offices of IRWD located at 15600 Sand Canyon Avenue, Irvine.

Dated:  February 23, 2026

Kristine Swan, District Secretary,
IRVINE RANCH WATER DISTRICT
and the Board of Directors thereof

Irvine Ranch Water District and Las Virgenes Municipal Water District increase water supply reliability through mutually beneficial collaboration.

California’s jarring shifts between extreme drought and heavy rains have led many water agencies across the state to explore innovative approaches to water storage. The newest example is a Water Storage and Exchange Program partnership between Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD) and Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD).

Through the partnership, LVMWD will have access to a portion of the 50,000 acre-feet of water stored in the IRWD Water Bank for use during an emergency.

The IRWD Water Bank captures and stores water in wet years and times of surplus for use during extreme shortages. Like an emergency savings account for water, LVMWD can withdrawal up to 850 acre-feet of water annually in times of declared emergency restrictions — enough to serve 1,400 average-sized families for up to three years. Roughly half of the 6,000 acre-feet of stored water included in the agreement is available for use by LVMWD and half for IRWD.

“Improving resiliency is the most effective way to prepare for climate-driven impacts on our water supply. This is another important piece of the pie in our overall water supply diversification strategy,” said LVMWD Board President Andy Coradeschi. “Our partnership with IRWD strengthens our ability to prepare for those impacts, is a key component of ensuring continued water reliability for our ratepayers and provides a new tool for responding to threats to our water supply. Regional collaboration is essential for long-term sustainability.”

LVMWD will bear the costs for storage, recovery and delivery of the water supply, and IRWD will provide the storage capacity through its water banking program.

The partnership, approved in January by the LVMWD and IRWD boards of directors, will remain in place for up to 10 years, with opportunities for extension if agreements are renewed.

IRWD’s water banking program, which includes more than 500 acres of groundwater recharge ponds, provides much-needed wet-year storage underground so the water is available to customers and partner agencies in times of water shortage or emergencies.

“California’s groundwater basins can store up to 20 times more water than surface water reservoirs, which is why water agencies up and down the state are working together to establish water banking programs like ours,” IRWD General Manager Paul Cook said. “Water banking allows agencies to share the costs of building and managing these storage basins for long-term sustainability and resilience.”

LVMWD is conducting a Water Supply Diversification Study to determine whether to invest even more into water banking programs, as well as pursuing other potential sources of supply to further bolster resiliency.

LVMWD and IRWD remind their customers that while the agreement provides an added water resource in times of extreme shortage, customers should continue to be mindful of their water use at all times. Conservation must continue to be a California way of life.

By Juan Garcia

Winter has a bad rap for being drab. But you can have a vibrant, colorful landscape throughout the season. Many manzanitas (Arctostaphylos sp.) bloom in winter and early spring. Other native plants that bloom this time of year include gooseberries (Ribes sp.), lemonade berry (Rhus integrifolia) and Baja birdbush (Ornithostaphylos oppositifolia). Hummingbirds depend on these blooms in winter.

The Christmas berry (Heteromeles arbutifolia) is another beautiful evergreen shrub, providing a bounty of red berries that many species depend on during the colder months.

Juan Garcia is an IRWD Water Efficiency Specialist and a landscape guru. He's also the star of the IRWD web series "The Shed Show." Got a question for Juan? Go to IRWD.com/askjuan!

The tip of the season was originally published in the winter issue of The Dirt, an IRWD quarterly newsletter emailed to subscribers every season. To see the whole issue or subscribe, go to IRWD.com/thedirt.

While others assume California gardens sleep through winter, Margaret Chen knows her Irvine backyard needs a different kind of attention during the cooler months. At 54, she’s mastered the art of winter plant care and discovered it’s more about restraint than effort.

“Winter is when my garden whispers instead of shouts,” Margaret says, surveying her thriving landscape on a December morning. “But it still needs me. Just differently.”

Margaret’s biggest winter adjustment? Cutting back on irrigation. Her drip system drops from twice-weekly summer waterings to just once a week, sometimes not at all if winter rains arrive.

“People kill more drought-tolerant plants with winter kindness than summer neglect,” she explains, testing soil moisture with her finger. If it’s damp two inches down, she skips watering entirely. When she does water, it’s always in the morning to prevent fungal issues on cold nights.

Her established California natives rely almost entirely on natural rainfall.

“These plants evolved for wet winters and dry summers,” she notes. “I let nature do the work.”

Winter mornings find Margaret with pruning shears in hand. She shapes her lavender, removing about one-third of last year’s growth to prevent woody, leggy stems. Her rosemary hedge gets light trimming, and her Russian sage gets cut back to 6 inches.

“It looks severe now,” she admits, “but come April, it explodes with new growth and blooms.”

Most of Margaret’s plants get zero fertilizer in winter. Their growth naturally slows, and they don’t need extra nutrients. She makes exceptions only for winter bloomers like her society garlic, giving them light applications of organic, slow-release fertilizer in early November.

“Organic fertilizers are like a good meal,” she explains. “Chemical ones are just a quick jolt.”

Cool, damp conditions invite problems, so Margaret checks regularly. She watches lavender for signs of overwatering, removes powdery mildew from rosemary, and blasts aphids off new growth with the hose.

“Ladybugs usually arrive within a week to finish the job,” she notes, preferring natural solutions over chemicals.

Margaret finds winter care meditative rather than urgent. Her toyon berries glow red against gray skies. Ornamental grasses catch low-angle sunlight. On rare frosty mornings, her entire garden sparkles.

"There’s magic in every season if you know where to look,” she says, settling onto her bench with morning coffee. “Winter taught me that good gardening isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing the right things at the right time.”

As winter sunlight warms her garden, Margaret makes her final check, adjusting mulch here, testing soil moisture there. But mostly, she simply stands among her plants, grateful for the quiet beauty of California’s gentle winter.

Her garden doesn’t sleep. It rests, rebuilds, and prepares for spring’s explosion of growth.

And Margaret? She does the same.

Looking for more winter garden care tips for your Southern California landscape? Visit Yardtopia.com for seasonal guides, plant care resources, and expert advice for water-wise gardening.