Did you know that the average-sized household in the IRWD service area uses about 345 gallons of water per day? And that is not necessarily due to taking showers, washing dishes, flushing toilets, or doing the laundry. Two hundred gallons of that 345 figure, or 50 to 60 percent, is used outside for watering your landscape.

"One way to determine if you are using too much water is to look at your bill," said IRWD Water Use Efficiency Analyst Nathan Adams. "If you fall within the inefficient, excessive, or wasteful category, chances are too much water is being applied to your landscape."

There are three ways to reduce your landscape’s drinking problem[NA1]  and IRWD offers incentives to help you address outdoor water use efficiency:

• Your plant palette dictates water usage. Grass requires much more water compared to native and California-friendly plants.  Consider replacing grass areas which are seldom used, like the area next to driveways first.
• Make monthly adjustments to your watering schedule. Automatic irrigation timers are efficient only if the run times are set according to weather and climate conditions. For suggested irrigation times, go to www.irwd.com/alwayswatersmart/weekly-irrigation-schedule.
• Efficiency is king – if your sprinklers are watering the driveway, sidewalk, or the street, water is being wasted and causing runoff.  Fix leaks, adjust spray patterns and install efficient rotating nozzles and drip irrigation where possible.

IRWD has a host of programs to help you become more water efficient:

•  Take advantage of our turf removal program, which will pay $1.50 per square-foot of grass removed for a minimum of 250 to a maximum of 10,000 square-feet.  Visit:

www.irwd.com/alwayswatersmart/rebates/turf-removal-rebate-program.

• Go to www.irwd.com/alwayswatersmart/garden-resources to check out native and California-friendly plants that are suited to our mild winters and warm climate. These plants are low-maintenance and require very little water.
• Replace your old water-wasting sprinklers with rotating spray nozzles and receive a $3 rebate per nozzle. Go to www.irwd.com/alwayswatersmart/residential-rebates[NA2]  for information and a list of where to purchase the nozzles.
• Replace your old irrigation controller with a weather-based irrigation controller. Customers may receive a rebate of up to $425 per timer. Go to www.irwd.com/alwayswatersmart/residential/residential-rebates for information and a list of where to purchase the timers.

For more information about IRWD water efficiency programs, please visit our website.

Four students had their water-related projects selected as winners during the annual Irvine Unified School District Science Fair on February 29. Two scientists from Irvine Ranch Water District’s state-of-the-art Water Quality laboratory judged 35 projects.

“We judge on the use of the scientific method, completeness of research and evidence of problem-solving,” said Melinda Bergen, IRWD Laboratory Supervisor and veteran of many IUSD science fairs. “It’s amazing to see the level of creativity from these students.”

The students will be honored by the Irvine Ranch Water District Board of Directors on May 29. IRWD science experts have helped judge science fair projects since the 1980s as part of the District’s ongoing commitment to education and encouraging students to explore careers in science. 

The 2012 IRWD winners are:

• Gopal Vashishtha, grade 9, University High School, “Nano-Scale Zn Oxide in Membrane Bioreactor Systems”
• Louis Primeau, grade 6, Turtle Rock School, “Effect of Elevated co2 on Fresh Water Algae”
• Elizabeth Chang, grade 6, Plaza Vista School, “Evaporating Waters”
• Zach Howard, grade 6, Oak Creek School, “Bacteria: Back Bay Versus Newport Harbor”

Please visit our website for more about the IRWD education programs.

How many times have you seen sprinklers operating during the rain? Weather-based irrigation timers, also called smart timers, take the guesswork out of watering a landscape.

“These timers allow for more accurate, customized watering times by automatically adjusting the schedule based on site conditions in response to changing weather conditions,” said IRWD Water Efficiency Analyst Nathan Adams.

Not only does this save water, lower your bills and reduce over-watering, it allows you to optimize watering times to meet your landscape’s specific water needs. The controllers will automatically adjust the frequency and duration of watering times – saving you the time, hassle and guesswork of adjusting your controller.

“Setting up the timer properly is important,” Adams said. “And if your lawn has brown spots, you may want to inspect the in-ground system for leaks and inefficiencies.”

IRWD is currently offering smart timer rebate of up to $425 per controller for homeowners. Please visit our website and click on rebates for details and a list of controller models.

If you are thinking about landscaping your yard with California native drought-tolerant plants, but aren’t sure what they look like, visit the Irvine Ranch Water District San Joaquin Marsh for ideas. It’s spring time and the plants at the Marsh are awakening from winter dormancy.

“In the spring, there are lupine, encelia, goldfields and southern honeysuckle,” said Ian Swift, IRWD’s Marsh expert. “We have about 120 flowering plant species on display.”

The 320-acre freshwater Marsh contains mostly native plants. When IRWD began rehabilitating the Marsh in the late 1990s, crews faced a daunting task of eradicating many unwelcome, non-native species, such as artichoke thistle and yellow-flowered black mustard plants. Landscape crews continue to monitor for any appearance of these plants and they are removed immediately.

The artichoke thistle is a little more of a challenge because the tap root can reach down to about eight feet.

During the springs, the Marsh is a riot of color and fragrance. Check out the Mexican elderberry or Matilja poppy. The poppy blooms on a large shrub and has delicate,  tissue-like white petals and a yellow button-like center. It has a sweet fragrance.

Many of the plants along the Fledgling Loop Trail closest to the Duck Club have identification cards with a photo and the name and information about the plant. If you are interested in attracting butterflies to your yard, take a walk through the butterfly garden in the Marsh’s meadow area behind the Duck Club. Tiles located on poles depict different types of butterflies. The plants in the garden have been found to attract the butterflies shown on the tiles.

There is no charge to visit the Marsh, which is open 365 days a year, from dawn to dusk. Please visit our website for more information and directions to the Marsh.