IRWD Honors IUSD Science Fair Winners
Creativity and Completeness of Research are Rewarded
Four Irvine students were honored at the May 23 Irvine Ranch Water District board meeting for their innovative water-related science fair projects. The students’ projects were judged by members of the IRWD Water Quality staff during the March 2 science fair.
“These projects are very impressive,” said General Manager Paul Jones before the students were introduced. “Congratulations to each of you for a job well done.”
IRWD has participated in the Irvine Unified School District’s annual science fair for many years. In the fall, IRWD water quality and engineering staff members are on-hand to assist students with their project ideas at Ask-a-Scientist Night. The day of the science fair, IRWD staff seek out the water-related projects from the hundreds of projects submitted and select the winning projects based on the use of the scientific method, creativity, relevance, completeness of research and evidence of problem solving.
Each student received a certificate from the IRWD Board of Directors. In addition, IRWD donates $100 in honor of each student to their schools for the purchase of science equipment or books and $100 to support the science fair.
Winners this year included:
Jessica Wu-Woods, 10th grade, Woodbridge High School, “The Comparison of Three Different Methods: PCR, Antibody Strips and Metabolite Strips, to Detect E. Coli in Water.” Jessica’s project evaluated three different methods to test for E.coli in water. Current established methods to detect these bacteria can take 18-48 hours, so a reliable, rapid test is needed. Based on the results of her tests, the metabolite strips were inexpensive, easy to use and could fulfill the need for a new way to test for contaminated water. Jessica received an Outstanding Project Award at the IUSD Science Fair; a Special Award, Senior Division, from the National Water Research Institute; a Second Place award at the County Science and Engineering Fair and a Participant at the California State Science Fair.
Andrew Ko, 8th grade, Vista Verde School, “Potable H2O Growth of Bacteria.” Andrew wanted to discover if water purification tablets are effective in lessening bacterial growth in various types of water. Using one liter of water each from the tap, a water fountain, a pond, from rain and from the toilet, he hypothesized that pond water would become the most purified after adding water purification tablets, because pond water is very dirty. He was correct, and also learned that rain water isn’t so clean, either.
Divya Sripathy, 8th grade, Lakeside Middle School, “Conserve Water Easily.” Divya set out to learn if using a certain type of drought-tolerant grass can help in water conservation. She used dichondra, which is not drought-tolerant, Marathon II, St. Augustine and Zoysia Tenifolia in her experiment. After watering each grass with one liter of water daily, she found that the drought-tolerant grasses did conserve about four to six liters, compared to dichondra. Zoysia Tenifolia turned out to be the most water-conserving.
Gaby Katz, 6th grade, Vista Verde School, “The Dynamics of Water Flow.” Gaby wanted to examine if different lengths of hoses would influence the speed with which a bucket of set volume was filled with water. He hypothesized that water flowing through a longer length of hose would take longer to fill a bucket than would a shorter hose. He used four different lengths of hose and a stop watch. After conducting five time trials, he discovered his hypothesis was correct. The results are explained by the principle of water flow, which states that velocity of water flow is dependent on the hydrostatic pressure, the diameter and the length of the hose.
For more information about IRWD education programs, please visit our website.
May is Water Awareness Month – How Aware are You?
Your Source for Water Knowledge
Irvine Ranch Water District customers, we know it’s easy to take water for granted – you turn on the tap and the water flows. But how does it get to the tap? More than 50 percent ofthe IRWD water supply comes from local groundwater wells.
“These wells range in depth from 400 to 2,000 feet and extract high quality water from the Orange County groundwater basin,” said IRWD General Manager Paul Jones. “This basin is a resource shared by all of the cities and water districts in northern and central Orange County.”
Approximately 30 percent of the IRWD drinking water is imported from the Colorado River and Northern California. IRWD buys this water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. While Southern California had an above average rainy season this year, our imported water supplies continue to face a variety of challenges, most notably the environmental crisis in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Today, Southern Californians need to continue practicing conservation, in both dry and wet years. Please visit our website to find tips and tools on how to be Always Water Smart.
Meanwhile, here are some other online resources for everything water:
- California Urban Water Conservation Council: www.h2ouse.org
- California Department of Water Resources: www.water.ca.gov
- Metropolitan Water District of Southern California: www.bewaterwise.com
- Orange County Water District: www.ocwd.com
San Joaquin Marsh Named Top Picnic Spot in O.C.
An Oasis of Calm in Urban Environment
The Irvine Ranch Water District San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary was named one of the five best picnic spots in Orange County by the O.C. Weekly Stick a Fork in it blog.
"Enjoy a picnic meal on one of many benches strategically anchored in the prettiest parts of the sanctuary," the blog reads. "You have to walk a good bit to find them, but when you do, you'll be alone."
The blog also describes the marsh as an "oasis of calm, herons skim glassy ponds, ducks quack, reeds sway." Indeed, the marsh is a place of quiet enjoyment. More than 200 species of birds make their home there during different seasons of the year. You may visit dawn to dusk, 365 days a year and it doesn't cost a cent! Hike the 12 miles of trails, or just sit and enjoy the scenery.
Please be aware there is a detour route for the marsh. For more information about the marsh, please visit our website.
Treating Water Nature’s Way
Do Your Part ~ Prevent Runoff
Irvine Ranch Water District is committed to protecting the environment. One element of this focus is treating urban runoff. In 1997, the District implemented a treatment program, partnering with nature by creating wetlands that use organisms, plants and soil to naturally remove bacteria, nitrogen and phosphorus from water.
“Building on our tradition of using water efficiently, IRWD is committed to protecting water resources,” said Fiona Sanchez, Natural Treatment System Program Manager. “Our innovative NTS program has set a new standard for taking environmental stewardship to the next level.”
The wetlands at the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine use this natural treatment process to handle urban runoff from San Diego Creek. Plants and soils in the manmade ponds take about seven to 10 days to remove nitrates and other pollutants and deliver cleaner water back into the creek before it makes its way through Upper Newport Bay to the ocean.
This cost-effective and environmentally sound way of treating urban runoff is well respected by water treatment experts and other water districts, and has grown into the IRWD Natural Treatment System program.
Over watering your lawn or a broken sprinkler on your property contributes to ocean pollution.This excess water that carries pollutants into storm drains, and then to the ocean is called urban runoff, and is an environmental problem for any communities. You can help by being mindful of your water use so this wasted water doesn’t flow to the curb and take trash, fertilizers, pet waste and other pollutants into storm drains and into San Diego Creek, eventually ending up in ecologically sensitive Upper Newport Bay and the ocean. Making simple changes, like using “smart” timers to water your lawn, adjusting your watering schedule, installing high quality sprinkler heads or planting water smart landscapes can really make a big difference.
For more than ten years, the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary continues to demonstrate that nature can successfully clean urban runoff. IRWD has used this smart concept to create the Natural Treatment System (NTS), which is a series of smaller wetlands that are being constructed throughout the San Diego Creek Watershed in Orange County. IRWD is working with local partners to develop wetlands so that runoff will travel through one or more basins for incremental cleaning before reaching the San Joaquin Marsh for final polishing.
The NTS works much like the San Joaquin Marsh, only using smaller man-made wetlands placed strategically throughout the watershed. Low-flow natural and urban runoff, as well as smaller storm flows, will be diverted into man-made wetlands. These naturally treat and remove pollutants, helping to prevent them from reaching the Upper Newport Bay.
Now that you know what urban runoff is, you can make good use of these helpful resources:
Visit IRWD’s “Community Programs” web pages for event, education and workshop information. Download a map and explore the IRWD San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary.
Learn more about the Sea & Sage Audubon Society.
Become the neighborhood expert on urban runoff.
IRWD is committed to preventing urban runoff. Our numerous community programs, including landscape workshops, resident tours, community education events and programs for children demonstrate IRWD’s desire to educate customers on the need to improve landscape irrigation efficiency.
For more information, please visit our website.
Contact: Shannon Reed, Public Affairs Manager
reeds@irwd.com, (949) 453-5500
Reduce Water Use with California Friendly Plants
YouTube videos highlight native plants for maximum water savings
In an effort to educate customers on the benefits of a California Friendly landscape, the Irvine Ranch Water District debuted its California Friendly Plant video series on its exclusive YouTube Channel. May featured the purple blossom shrub, Pride of Madeira, and June highlights Island Alumroot, a two foot perennial with small pink-toned flowers.
“During the recent series of Resident Tours, we polled our customers and learned that they regularly use YouTube,” said Nick Mrvos, Landscape Conservation Specialist. “Our goal is to educate our customers in ways that are convenient and meaningful to them. Showing beautiful, low water use plants in videos can help make learning fun.”
California Friendly plants, or California natives, are an essential component of water conservation. Watering landscape accounts for nearly 50% of total water usage by an average household. By reducing turf and planting California natives, residents can decrease water usage and lawn maintenance chores.
For more information on the benefits of California Friendly plants, residents can view IRWD’s “The Importance of California Friendly Plants” video or visit our website.
