Maximizes Transparency, Easy Access to Timely Information

Welcome to the new Irvine Ranch Water District Liquid News feature. Liquid News is an integral part of IRWD’s effort to maximize transparency and ensure the public has easy access to accurate and timely information. The new communication hub is the most recent addition to the palette of IRWD information platforms, including the IRWD website, Facebook page, Videos, Twitter feeds, the electronic billing insert as well as traditional means of communication.

“The way our customers obtain news and information is rapidly changing. At IRWD we are committed to meeting our customers where they live on the media landscape,” said Paul Cook, IRWD Interim General Manager. “Last year we launched a thorough re-design of our website, an award-winning project that dramatically increased the ability of our customers to easily obtain the information they need when they need it.”

 Please check back often, as Liquid News will be regularly updated with valuable information on our latest programs and projects as well as wider topics such as water supply reliability. We welcome comments on our news items and invite feedback about the look, feel, functionality and content of Liquid News.

Turbo Tappers are Tops in Their Field

The Irvine Ranch Water District “Turbo Tappers” water tapping team once again participated in the annual Orange County Water Association’s water tapping event last week. This exercise takes endurance and stamina, so customers can be assured that IRWD crews working in their neighborhoods are highly trained and efficient.

“We are proud of our team and the job that they do every day,” said Director of Water Operations Dave Pedersen.  “This exercise is about showing teamwork and they did just that.”

The object of the exercise is for three team members to tap into a pressurized water pipe, and then attach copper water pipe to a faucet. The fourth team member serves as the coach and adviser.

Please enjoy the photo gallery below and visit www.irwd.com for more water information.

Fires, Floods, Earthquakes – Drills and Real Life Experience Serve as Training Tools

Irvine Ranch Water District is committed to emergency preparedness and conducts annual drills and exercises for employees. In addition, there are real-life events that put what staff has learned to the test.

“After the 1994 Northridge earthquake, IRWD crews were sent to assist in restoring water service in the hard-hit areas of Reseda and Northridge,” said IRWD Interim General Manager Paul Cook. “We sent 23 employees, who rotated through 12-hour shifts over four days to get the water flowing.”

In 1999, IRWD rolled out a 16-foot-long Emergency Response Trailer, equipped with everything needed for such a response, including orange cones, protective suits, self-contained breathing apparatus, rubber boots and gloves, two children’s wading pools used for decontamination, medical supplies, first aid kits, generators and medical monitoring equipment. When an emergency situation calls for it, the District’s highly trained hazardous materials response team utilized the Emergency Trailer to take immediate action.

In October 2007, the Santiago Fire ravaged Orange County and kept IRWD crews across many departments working around the clock to keep the water flowing to firefighters. Crews were out close to the fire lines, installing generators, operating pumps and manually measuring reservoir depths in areas where power and phone lines were knocked out by the flames. Some crews manned hoses to help protect key water facilities. One of the IRWD pump houses in the Portola Hills area was destroyed.

Last December, torrential storms caused significant damage to Williams Canyon, washing out a road along with IRWD water mains that supply water service to canyon residents. Over several days, including Christmas, crews worked in the rain providing access for equipment and constructing two water bypass lines to restore water to residents.

Practice does make perfect. Emergency drills, such as the statewide “Great Shake Out,” a six-hour Emergency Preparedness Drill in 2008. It was the largest such drill in the nation’s history and the first time IRWD had participated in a drill of that magnitude. Please visit our website for more information about emergency preparedness efforts by IRWD, or to sign up for the CodeRED emergency notification system.

Environmental Stewardship is a driving force at the Irvine Ranch Water District

Stewardship is a driving force behind Irvine Ranch Water District’s many environmental programs, because as water providers we understand how important it is to protect natural resources for future generations.  It’s so important, in fact, that we have formed strong partnerships with the Audubon Society and the Shadetree Partnership to improve important stewardship initiatives.

The Sea & Sage Chapter of the National Audubon Society has long been a force for conservation, research and environmental education in Orange County, focusing on classes, field trips and volunteer activities. As such, the group’s interests and ours align perfectly at the IRWD San Joaquin Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary.  Audubon House, one of the historic homes on the site, was provided to Sea & Sage by IRWD and serves as the group’s home.

Audubon House offers a reference library, nature shop and exhibits of local birds, and is the gathering point for the group’s public tours of the marsh and other educational programs.  Working with Audubon, IRWD has been able to reach the approximately 3,000 school children and 12,000 other visitors to the marsh each year, increasing their understanding and appreciation of the wildlife and the water quality functions of the marsh.

The Shadetree Partnership is a volunteer organization that promotes more livable communities by planting shadetrees in urban Orange County. Because shadetrees are good for water conservation and water quality, IRWD has become one of their primary partners. We have worked with volunteers to plant more than 25,000 trees throughout our service area.

Native shadetrees use less water than turf, and their shade reduces the loss of irrigation water to evaporation.  Because their roots hold soil together, they also protect water resources by reducing silt runoff into local waterways.  The group’s shadetree nursery in Irvine, which grows thousands of trees, shrubs and groundcovers using micro-spray emitters to spray IRWD’s recycled water at each plant, lets volunteers experience an example of highly efficient irrigation.