IRWD’s Natural Treatment System Treats Urban Runoff
NTS helps clean polluted water before running into the ocean
Many Orange County residents are unaware that man-made wetlands exist across the Irvine Ranch Water District’s service area to treat urban runoff, a major source of water pollution created by water that flows into storm drains when there are no storms.
These lakes and ponds use natural ecosystems, such as plants, to remove harmful contaminants and bacteria and prevent these pollutants from reaching the upper Newport Bay and flowing into the ocean.
“Many of the pollutants and nutrients that are found in urban runoff create problems within the watershed,” said Ian Swift, IRWD’s Wetlands Biologist. “These natural treatment system facilities help to improve water quality within the watershed by removing these contaminants. IRWD continues to be a leader in the region in the natural treatment of urban runoff.”
IRWD recently debuted a video titled “A look into the Natural Treatment System” which details the NTS. A follow-up video, “How does the Natural Treatment System Work?” was recently released. For more information on the Natural Treatment System, please visit www.irwd.com.
Williams Canyon 2010 Floods – Looking Back
The intense rainstorms of December 2010 flooded Williams Canyon a few days before Christmas, washing out a road and water service to many of the residents. What a difference a year makes. A recent visit to the area paints a different picture – water pipes were replaced, a new road was built and the sides of the creek were reinforced.
“I was super impressed how everyone came together and got it all back together so quickly,” said Dave Pedersen, IRWD Senior Director of Water Operations and Quality. “Restoring water service after an emergency situation is a top priority for IRWD.”
The flooding washed out a large segment of Williams Canyon Road, along with 700 feet of an eight-inch water main near the creek crossing. Additionally, a portion of 12-inch pipe near the Williams Canyon Pump Station was damaged. IRWD crews and Paulus Engineering began making repairs on December 23 once the flood waters began to recede. Repairs consisted of constructing two bypass water mains and restoring numerous broken water services.
Repairs continued over the next several days, placing many reservoirs back in service. Water service to customers was restored by December 29. Customers were kept informed with consistent updates on the IRWD website, and through Twitter feeds and Facebook postings.
For more information about IRWD emergency planning and CodeRED, please visit the IRWD website.
Irvine Ranch Water District Wants You to Be Safe
Safety is a top priority at Irvine Ranch Water District, so if someone knocks on your door claiming to be an IRWD employee, don’t be afraid to ask for identification. It is important to know if you are opening your door to a District staff member.
“Contact IRWD at (949) 453-5300 if you have any doubts and verify that the employee is who he or she claims to be,” said IRWD Customer Service Manager Gina Jackson. “All IRWD employees carry photo identification badges.”
Additionally most IRWD field crews wear an IRWD uniform or T-shirt with the logo above the left-hand pocket. IRWD Water Efficiency team members usually wear polo shirts with an IRWD logo embroidered on the left side. IRWD staff can also provide IRWD business cards.
When in doubt, ask the person to return to your home after you have had an opportunity to follow up on their identity. IRWD Customer Service field crews and members of the Water Efficiency team often go to homes to either collect late payments or conduct water efficiency surveys as requested by the customer. IRWD employees will never ask you to hand over any valuables. Contact your local law enforcement agency to file a report if you suspect someone is posing as an IRWD staff member.
For more information, please visit www.irwd.com.
Irvine Ranch Water District: Looking Ahead to the Future
Irvine Ranch Water District is dedicated to strategically planning for the future. Since our formation 50 years ago, we’ve anticipated and met the water supply needs of our service area. IRWD incorporates fiscal prudence, careful forecasting and continual development of new water resources into our long-term planning.
“Providing a safe and reliable water supply for our customers has always been and always will be our highest priority,” said IRWD General Manager Paul Cook. “Anticipating ways to meet our customers’ water needs during fires, floods, earthquakes and other water-related emergencies also plays a crucial role.”
Currently, IRWD is in the planning stages of the Syphon Reservoir Recycled Water Storage Project. Syphon Reservoir is a 60-year-old facility currently used to store irrigation water supplies. The two components of the project are conversion of the reservoir to seasonal storage for IRWD recycled water and augmenting the reservoir’s capacity. When complete, Syphon Reservoir will allow IRWD to utilize 100 percent of its recycled water.
Another upcoming project, which focuses on increased water reliability for south Orange County, is the proposed Baker Water Treatment Plant in Lake Forest. This project will be constructed at the existing Baker Filtration Plant and is intended to increase local treatment capability for multiple water supply sources, including imported water and local surface water from Irvine Lake.
The project will help provide reliable local drinking water supplies in the event of an emergency, or scheduled maintenance on the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s Diemer Filtration Plant, Lower Feeder Pipeline, or Allen-McColloch Pipeline. IRWD will partner with El Toro Water District, Moulton Niguel Water District, Santa Margarita Water District and Trabuco Canyon Water District.
The Baker plant currently provides filtered well water which supplements the IRWD recycled water system. Operation of the existing plant will be discontinued after the implementation of the proposed project.
The Baker Water Treatment Project will also include a new offsite pump station near Peters Canyon Reservoir. This project is currently in design, with construction to begin some time next year.
For more information on IRWD construction projects, please check our website.
IRWD unveils new look for water conservation mascot
Britany Long, a 2011 graduate of Beckman High School, was recently honored by the Irvine Ranch Water District for designing an updated look for the IRWD water conservation mascot, Aqua Duck.
"IRWD is pleased to honor Britany Long for redesigning our long-honored water conservation and education mascot, Aqua Duck," said Mary Aileen Mattheis, IRWD Board President. "Her artwork will be used as IRWD's official mascot on all education materials going forward."
The Aqua Duck makeover contest was held in the spring and summer of 2011. The conservation mascot has been helping educate students since the early 1980’s. In conjunction with the District's 50th Anniversary year, it was time to bring him into the new millennium with a make-over. The contest received entries from students of all ages from schools within the IRWD service area.
After careful consideration, Britany’s artwork was selected to represent Aqua Duck. She will be attending the Academy of Art University in San Francisco later this month. Britany’s winning entry will be used as the official education mascot on all IRWD Discovery Science Center materials.
For more information on IRWD education programs, please visit our website.
