IRWD Partners with UCI for Student ‘Water Battle’
Beginning this week, students in the Middle Earth housing community at University of California, Irvine will compete against each other in an effort to reduce water consumption and promote environmental sustainability.
“Ivine Ranch Water District prides itself in being a leader in water use efficiency in California and is committed to evaluating new technologies and strategies,” said IRWD Assistant Director of Water Policy, Fiona Sanchez. “With the Water Battle, we’re excited to see how real-time information about water use and the spirit of competition can produce long-term water savings and where better to do this than at one of the leading universities in the state?”
For four weeks, indoor water consumption for each of the eighteen dormitories will be tracked, including toilet flushing, shower usage and faucets. Throughout the battle, students can check each dormitory’s standing in real-time through the Aquacue dashboard which reports how much water each dormitory has used up to that point. A base rate of water consumption was recorded during the first two weeks of the school session to serve as the water savings benchmark.
This battle of epic proportions is the result of a partnership between IRWD and UCI. IRWD supplied UCI Student Housing with Aquacue’s Barnacles, which are small electronic devices that attach onto water meters and transmit real-time water use data via a cellular network to a cloud-based software program that is accessible from the internet.
The contest is fitting for a campus that is committed to sustainability and has made a priority to implement environmentally-friendly upgrades throughout campus.
In keeping with the theme of environmental sustainability, UCI has focused its outreach efforts through a paperless campaign, employing the use of social media, email blasts and word of mouth to increase awareness. Students are encouraged to utilize standard, such as taking shorter showers, while also developing and sharing creative methods to reduce water consumption.
In addition to bragging rights and a celebratory feast, the UCI Department of Student Housing will provide the winning dormitory with a $1,000 donation to the charity of their choice, made in their honor.
Please visit our website for more conservation information.
Take Control of Your Controller in October
Are you aware that between September 1st and 30th we lost 30 minutes of sunshine? In October we will lose even more sunshine each day. While it’s a subtle difference, your plants do notice the change in daylight. Even though it can still be hot outside, plants start preparing for winter and, as a result, aren’t as thirsty.
Having an automatic irrigation controller does not mean that you are watering your plants efficiently. A controller is only as efficient as its schedule, which must be kept up to date. October is a critical time to change your watering times as the days become shorter and plants no longer need the amount of water they did in July and August.
When you react to the changing daylight by reducing your watering times, your plants and bank account will benefit. Visit our Take Control of Your Controller web page at www.alwayswatersmart.com for great tips and resources to help you water efficiently.
Shadetree Partnership ‘Greens’ Up Water Recycling Plant
Shadetree Partnership has donated hundreds of trees and shrubs that have been planted along a wall separating the Irvine Ranch Water District’s Michelson Water Recycling Plant and the San Joaquin Marsh.
“This is a true partnership with IRWD,” said Tom Bonkowski, General Manager for Shadetree Partnership.
A plant palette was established during construction of the floodwall behind the plant. Once the 2,000-foot wall was completed, the trees and shrubs were planted on a mulched berm along the North Loop trail in the Marsh.
The landscape adds ambience to the Marsh and will serve to screen the plant. Once mature, the trees will form an inviting canopy over the trail.
Shadetree Partnership was created in 1990 to provide public awareness and understanding about urban forestry and is committee to community involvement. Hundreds of trees are donated each year to be planted on public lands. Many of the trees and plantings are cultivated in Shadetree’s nursery at UC Irvine.
For more information about the Marsh or Shadetree Partnership, please visit our website.
IRWD Professionals Assist at Ask-A-Scientist Night
An annual autumn tradition is the Irvine Unified School District’s Ask-A-Scientist Night and Irvine Ranch Water District has answered the call since inception of the event more than 20 years ago. More than 30 students with questions about their science fair projects filed through the “Water and Earth Science” room at Rancho San Joaquin Middle School the evening of October 17.
Joining other science and engineering professionals in talking to students were Mike Hoolihan, IRWD Principal Engineer, and John Hills, IRWD’s retired Director of Water Quality.
A photo gallery of the event is below. For more information on our educational programs, please visit our website.
IRWD Receives Outstanding Energy Management Award
The California-Nevada Section of the American Water Works Association presented Irvine Ranch Water District with the Outstanding Energy Management Award for 2012 at its fall conference in San Diego on October 9. The Green House Gas Master Plan was highlighted by the award.
“This award recognizes a utility with the commitment to make the efficient use of energy a main priority,” said Chet Malewski, section awards chair for AWWA. “The criteria for this award are stringent, so very few utilities are so honored.”
IRWD embarked on an ambitious project to decrease its energy use and carbon footprint by developing an energy and greenhouse gas master plan three years ago. The IRWD Board of Directors had recommended commission of such a plan at a strategic planning session. The plan was completed this past summer.
By developing an energy and green house gas master plan, IRWD took a proactive stance to reduce energy use and complying with AB 32, the state Global Warming and Solutions Act of 2006. The bill set a target to significantly reduce green house gas emissions statewide by 2020.
IRWD staff and the consultants toured various facilities in to prepare for developing the plan. Over the years, IRWD has taken steps to be energy efficient and reducing green house gas by encouraging conservation, developing local groundwater supplies, installing nearly 700 solar panels on the roof of the Sand Canyon office building, placing 832 solar panels on the top of a drinking water reservoir, replacing equipment with high efficiency motors and placing LED lights and motion sensors in offices.
For more information on our environmental plans, please visit our website.
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