Long History of Collaboration Between WVA and IRWD

The Irvine Ranch Water District Board of Directors honored the Woodbridge Village Association as a key partner in service at its October 24 meeting. WVA was formed in 1976 and is the largest homeowners association within the IRWD Service Area.

“Over the years we have worked with many homeowners’ associations – but, by far, we have had the closest collaboration with the Woodbridge Village Association,” said IRWD General Manager Paul Cook.

The Association encompasses 1,700 acres and features approximately 40 parks and pools as well as two landmark lakes and swimming lagoons. Woodbridge was the first HOA to comprehensively plan for recycled water. They successfully implemented this plan by incorporating recycled water everywhere possible within the award-winning community.

In the early days, Woodbridge used potable water for irrigation around the pools and lakes. Over the years, they worked closely with IRWD and the Health Department to expand their use of recycled water by retrofitting these irrigation systems to use recycled water. Woodbridge was among the first in the IRWD service area to have a building duel-plumbed with both drinking and recycled water in the District at the Echo Run Park restroom in the early 1990s.

Over the years, Woodbridge has been very supportive of IRWD water conservation programs. In the 1980s the Association was one of the first areas within the IRWD service area to convert from warm season grass to more water efficient grass such as tall fescue. 

WVA was honored for its many years of support, guidance and commitment of excellence in service to the community.

Please visit our website for more information about the IRWD 50th Anniversary Partner Commendations.

Contact: Shannon Reed, Public Affairs Manager
reeds@irwd.com, (949) 453-5500

Participation in Ask-a-Scientist Nights Dates Back Many Years

Irvine Ranch Water District scientists and engineers have participated in the Irvine Unified School District’s Ask-A-Scientist Night since its inception more than 20 years ago. This year, 48 students were assisted with their science fair project questions by IRWD Director of Water Quality John Hills and engineers Michael Hoolihan and Christian Kessler, along with scientists from UC Irvine. Ask-a-Scientist Night was held on October 19 at Rancho San Joaquin Middle School. The district science fair is scheduled for February 29, 2012.

Below is a photo gallery of the evening. Please visit www.irwd.com for more information about IRWD education programs.

There’s a difference between having a gold standard and being gold-plated.

The gold standard at the Irvine Ranch Water District is more than just a color – it’s a tangible asset, one that provides our customers with a reliable and safe water supply at the lowest possible cost. This does not happen by accident. It is the result of careful planning, prudent use of resources and the solid creative leadership that is the hallmark of the Irvine Ranch Water District.

Creating and living up to a “gold” standard of excellence should not be confused with “gold-plating,” which implies wasteful business practices.  Our gold standard for reliability, customer service and low rates often invites questions from our customers, the media and other government agencies.  Some are interested in learning about our innovative approach to water use efficiency or our ability to find and implement new water supply sources for our customers.  Others are curious to learn how IRWD maintains its strong financial position, despite the prolonged economic downturn.  And, there are those who just don’t understand that we can do this, and more, and still provide our customers with the lowest rates in Orange County.

There is a simple answer to those questions. At IRWD we don’t live for the present, we plan for the future. Long-range water resource planning has allowed IRWD to develop a diverse water supply, ensuring reliability even when conditions change or systems fail.  Long-range financial planning, similar to a family that regularly sets aside money for a child’s college education, allows IRWD to fund infrastructure replacement projects without dramatic increases in customer rates.  Through our long-range environmental stewardship programs, IRWD operates and maintains state-of-the-art water recycling and urban runoff treatment facilities to protect the communities we serve.

Planning for the future gives our customers today’s gold standard in service and reliability. Our core belief is that we serve the public, which is why we are committed to providing the highest value to our customers in the form of the lowest possible costs on their bill, not just today, but over the long term.

We welcome the questions and are honored to provide our customers with a high level of transparency and easy access to information.  To learn more about the IRWD gold standard of excellence in service visit our website at www.irwd.com.

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Wastewater Treatment, Wells, Urban Runoff Management, it’s All Part of the Plan

Over the past 50 years, Irvine Ranch Water District has planned, constructed, operated and maintained an expanding and evolving water and sewage system. IRWD provides water, wastewater collection, recycled water and urban runoff management services to a population of 332,000 in Irvine, Tustin Ranch, Portola Hills, Foothill Ranch, Santa Ana Heights, Orange Park Acres and portions of Lake Forest, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Orange and unincorporated Orange County.

“The list of key IRWD projects built in recent years includes the Deep Aquifer Treatment System, the Irvine Desalter Project, the San Joaquin Reservoir Conversion and the Michelson Water Recycling Plant Expansion,” said IRWD General Manager Paul Cook.

The Deep Aquifer Treatment System came on-line in 2002. This facility purifies drinking water from deep within the Orange County Groundwater Basin. This process removes impurities and discoloration left from ancient vegetation in the aquifer and produces more than seven million gallons of drinking water each day.

The Irvine Desalter Project cleans, restores and makes use of an important part of the Groundwater Basin. This project, which went online in 2007, produces two new supplies of very high quality water and yields an additional 3,900-acre-feet of water -  enough for 1,300 acres of landscape annually. It also provides 5,100 acre-feet of drinking water – enough for 50,000 people per year.

The San Joaquin Reservoir, located in Newport Coast, was originally built to store drinking water in 1966. In response to new laws prohibiting the storage of drinking water in open reservoirs, IRWD converted the San Joaquin Reservoir to story recycled water in 2004. The reservoir now stores nearly one billion gallons of recycled water for future irrigation use, reducing the need for importing more expensive drinking water for irrigation and other recycled water uses.

The Michelson Water Recycling Plant was built in 1966 and is the District’s primary source of recycled water. The plant converts an average of 18 million gallons of wastewater each day to recycled water. Currently, the plant is undergoing an expansion. When completed in 2012, the plant will produce nearly 28 million gallons of recycled water per day. Recycled water comprises about 21 percent of the IRWD current supply, enough to provide landscape irrigation for 80 percent of the District’s business and community customers, including parks, school grounds and golf courses. Every gallon of recycled water used for irrigation saves a gallon of drinking water, an equation that helps keep IRWD water rates among the lowest in Orange County.

In addition to these large-scale projects, IRWD is addressing the needs of customers through the installation of several drinking and non-potable water wells throughout the IRWD service area. Likewise, ongoing construction projects like the Orange Park Acres Water System Improvements, and future projects such as the Newport Boulevard Water Line Relocation, the Baker Water Treatment Plant Project and the Main Street/Gillette Sewer Replacement will improve existing infrastructure to meet the District’s future water and sewer system needs.

Please visit our website to learn more about IRWD current and upcoming capital projects.