New Year’s Resolution: An Always Water Smart Home
Be Water Efficient, Rain or Shine
The Irvine Ranch Water District Always Water Smart incentives and services will help you to make your home water efficient. An Always Water Smart home:
- Saves water and energy
- Saves money on utility and landscape bills
- Reduces landscape maintenance
- Reduces water and energy waste in addition to air pollution, greenhouse gasses and green waste
No matter how much it rains in winter, it’s always smart to be water efficient. Leaks and using water excessively, both indoors and outdoors, waste water and money. Take the time this winter to evaluate your household’s water use and investigate if your home has inefficiencies in some of the following most common areas.
Start outdoors. The majority of water use for an average household is used outdoors to water plants. Nearly half of the water used outdoors is wasted through overwatering. With smart, simple choices about plants, sprinklers, and maintenance, you can reduce your water bill and have a climate-appropriate landscape – an Always Water Smart CALscape.
Create your CALscape now. If you remove your water-thirsty lawn, IRWD will pay you $1.50 per square foot of turf removed and help you create your very own Always Water Smart CALscape. Visit the CALscape Resources page at AlwaysWaterSmart.com for more information about outdoor rebates and resources, including a detailed guide to low-water-use plants and landscaping options.
Check indoors. To make the most impact in reducing your indoor water use, shorten your shower length and upgrade older and inefficient appliances and fixtures. Products marked with an EPA WaterSense label are tested to ensure performance and are typically 20 percent more water efficient than average products.
Ask for help. IRWD maintains a team of Always Water Smart experts who will come to your home to help you identify leaks and inefficiencies. These experts will also provide you with resources, tips on available rebates and incentive programs. So what are you waiting for? Your beautiful new CALscape is out there waiting for you.
Irvine Ranch Water District Remembers Huell Howser
Filmed at IRWD
One of public television’s most iconic figures, Huell Howser, died Sunday night at the age of 67. Huell worked a variety of public television series such as, “Visiting,” “Road Trip,” “Downtown,” and most recently, “California Gold.”
Howser produced and hosted the Association California Water Association’s popular "California's Water" series, a first-of-its kind public television series launched in 2006. A total of 26 segments of "California's Water" have aired on public television outlets throughout California, covering a variety of topics ranging from climate change to water recycling to the value of tap water.
In 2006, Huell visited IRWD for a segment on what water agencies are doing to encourage wise water use at homes, parks and businesses. Huell visited Irvine’s Windrow Park, one of five synthetic turf demonstrations ponsored by IRWD at the time throughout the service area. Synthetic turf requires no water and minimal maintenance, while helping to reduce urban runoff. Watch the episode here.
In 2007, Huell Howser visited the Irvine Ranch Water District San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary as part of “California's Water” to highlight how wetlands serve as nature’s own water filtration systems. The segment offered a first-hand look at the valuable function wetlands perform in removing pollutants from runoff while at the same time providing habitat and recreation opportunities. Watch the segment here.
The Los Angeles Times wrote: “But though his shows were focused on points and people of interest, it was Howser who turned into the main attraction, tackling his subjects with an awestruck curiosity and relentless enthusiasm.”
The water world has lost a good friend.
Ready, Set, Draw!
Annual Poster Contest Kicks Off
Calling budding student artists in the Irvine Ranch Water District service area. Announcements have been sent to all of the local schools, inviting students in kindergarten through fifth grade to participate in the annual “Water is Life” poster contest. In addition, students in grades six through 12 have the opportunity to enter the Water Awareness Photography and Digital Arts Contest.
“We have many talented student artists in our schools and we invite them to showcase their work,” said IRWD Public Affairs Manager Shannon Reed. “We have at least one winner every year.”
The deadline for kindergarten through fifth grade students to enter their art work is Thursday, March 21. Students participating through the Irvine Unified School District may send their completed posters to Brad Van Patten’s office at the District office on Barranca Parkway.
Contest rules include:
- Use 12 X 18 white paper. Newsprint and larger sizes will not be accepted.
- Students must leave a one inch white border on all four sides.
- Crayons, markers, ink, poster paint, pastels, chalk, water color or cut paper or fabric may be used. Brighter colors photograph best.
- Horizontal (landscape) format only.
- Include a brief water message (be sure to check spelling!)
- Original art work only – no copyrighted material. Be creative!
- Do not put student’s name on the front of the poster.
- Back of poster must have an entry form with student’s information and signed parental release.
Students entering the “Water is Life” poster contest could have their art work published in the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s 2014 calendar.
The deadline for sixth through 12th grade students to enter the photography and digital arts contest is Friday, March 29. Some rules include:
- All files must be submitted in JPG, PNG, or PDF format and should be no larger than 10 megabytes in size.
- Photographs and digital art work should be medium to high resolution (300 dots per inch or higher.)
- Computer-generated art work can be created using Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator, Microsoft Publisher/PowerPoint, or any other graphics program.
- Only original art work will be accepted. Submissions must not contain images created by anyone other than the student.
- Entries must be emailed to digitalarts@mwdoc.com, or post entries to the Municipal Water District of Orange County facebook page. In the email subject line, type: Digital Arts Contest.
- In the body of the email, include: student’s name; grade level; school name; teacher’s name; home phone number and email address.
- Include two-three sentences explaining how the art work/photograph was created.
Please visit our website for contest entry forms and more information.
Winter Puts on a Show at IRWD San Joaquin Marsh
Birds and Other Wildlife Abound
Winter is an exciting at the San Joaquin Marsh, where many birds that flew south from snowy climates are arriving to make it their winter home. Bird watching opportunities abound at this fresh water wetlands.
“Visitors may see Canada geese, white pelicans and more than a dozen species of ducks,” said Trude Hurd, project director for Sea and Sage Audubon, which operates educational programs at the Marsh.
Partnering with IRWD, Audubon provides volunteers to lead free wildlife walks on the first Saturday of the month. Binoculars are available for loan.
As visitors walk around the ponds, they might be treated to the sight and songs of the white-crowned sparrows and the yellow-rumped warblers as they feed on insects in the trees.
The Marsh is also home to birds of prey, such as hawks and owls. They live at the Marsh year-round, with the population of mice, rabbits and other small mammals providing a food source.
In recent years, a family of bobcats has been present, with new kittens making their appearances in the spring.
Because the Marsh is not open to visitors at night, many of the nocturnal animals such as coyotes, skunks and raccoons will not be seen. However, on occasion, coyotes can be seen wandering the trails in the early morning of evening. Skunks can be seen only in the early morning.
Visitors are advised to enjoy the wildlife, but not to approach or feed them. If visitors picnic at the Marsh, they should dispose of their trash and left-over food in the trash cans. The large bins are covered to keep out the raccoons.
More information about the Marsh is available on our website.
Contact: Shannon Reed, Public Affairs Manager
reeds@irwd.com, (949) 453-5500
IRWD to Host Water 101: The Basics and Beyond
Water from A to Z
The Water Education Foundation will hold a day-and-a-half course on California Water basics on February 14-15 at Irvine Ranch Water District.
"The course is open to anyone, but will be especially beneficial to water resource industry staff, engineering and environmental firm personnel, legislators, legislative staff, advocates, stakeholders, environmentalists, public interest organizations and water district directors," said IRWD Public Affairs Manager Shannon Reed.
Top speakers include:
? Richard Atwater, executive director of the Southern California Water Committee, discussing the role of alternative water supplies – everything from conjunctive use to stormwater resources to desalination
? Lester Snow with California Water Foundation, discussing the natural environment and water delivery systems
? Attorney Eric Garner with Best Best & Krieger, providing an overview of California’s water rights system
? Dennis O’Connor with the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water, discussing working with and understanding the state Legislature
? And many more!
Educational sessions the first day will include discussions on:
? California’s natural water environment
? Water demand and use
? Current issues in California water management
? The legal and institutional management framework
? The role of alternative water supplies
On the second day participants will be provided with:
?A governance primer for water district directors that will include the roles and responsibilities of a director, legal requirements of board members and points on understanding the news media.
The course will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. February 14 and 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. February 15.
Cost: $250. Registration fee includes all educational materials, coffee breaks, lunch on February 14 and a graduation certificate upon completion of the day-and-a-half course. Scholarships are available on a case-by-case basis.
Please contact the Water Education Foundation for more information: 916-444-6240, or visit their website.
