Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) and Rosedale Rio Bravo Water Storage District (Rosedale) own and operate water storage and water banking facilities in Kern County.  IRWD’s water banking facilities capture water during wet times that would otherwise be lost and store the water for use during drought and other water shortages.  The facilities provide an emergency water supply for IRWD.

Due to the historic use of soil fumigants containing 1,2,3-trichloropropane, or TCP, soil and groundwater in Kern County have been contaminated with the human-made chemical.  Over time the TCP has migrated and contaminated some of IRWD’s and Rosedale’s water banking facilities.  While IRWD continues to meet all drinking water standards and only serves safe drinking water to its customers, this contamination has harmed the water banks owned and operated by IRWD and Rosedale, and jeopardizes IRWD’s emergency water supplies.

While the two public agencies are working to mitigate, remediate and clean up the contamination, they have decided that further action must be taken to hold the chemical companies that made TCP responsible for the damage they have caused.  To protect ratepayers and preserve the use of their groundwater storage and water banking facilities, IRWD and Rosedale recently sued The Dow Chemical Company and Shell Oil Company, who manufactured the soil fumigants that contained TCP, as well as Occidental Chemical Corporation, Wilbur-Ellis Company LCC, J.R. Simplot Company, Puregro Company, Nutrien Ag Solutions Inc., and Southern Valley Chemical Company, who were distributors of those fumigants in Kern County.  The lawsuit seeks to recover damages from these companies to cover the costs associated with IRWD’s and Rosedale’s mitigation and clean-up of the TCP contamination.

What is 1,2,3-trichloropropane?

1,2,3-trichloropropane, or TCP, is a highly toxic substance, human-made chemical compound.  From the 1940s to the 1980s, TCP was an unnecessary impurity in certain soil fumigants used to control microscopic worms that infest plant roots.

TCP migrates easily through soil and groundwater, and resists natural degradation.  For this reason, it has contaminated groundwater in some areas of California, including in Kern County.  It is difficult and costly to remove from groundwater. 

Is IRWD drinking water safe?

IRWD is confident that the drinking water we provide to homes, businesses and schools is safe and meets all quality standards set by both the state and federal government. IRWD water quality experts continuously monitor water supply and conduct hundreds of laboratory tests each year on water taken from sample points throughout the IRWD service area.

What is the importance of IRWD’s water bank?

IRWD’s Kern County water storage and banking facilities serve as an emergency water supply for the District. The goal of IRWD’s water banking program is to provide enough water to meet approximately 15% of IRWD customers’ needs during a severe drought or other water shortage. The water bank is an important part of IRWD’s commitment to always provide a clean, safe, reliable water supply to its customers.

The Irvine Ranch Water District Board of Directors has selected Steven E. LaMar to serve as president and Karen McLaughlin to serve as vice president for 2022. The selections were made at the Dec. 13 Board meeting.

LaMar has served on the board since 2009. He was president in 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2019 and vice president in 2013 and 2018. He currently serves on the Water Resources Policy and Communications Committee and the Finance and Personnel Committee. In 2020 and 2021, he served a two-year term as president of the Association of California Water Agencies.

McLaughlin was elected to IRWD’s Board of Directors in 2020, representing Division 4. She serves on the Water Resources Policy and Communications Committee and the Engineering and Operations Committee.

LaMar is a water policy and planning expert with more than 25 years of experience on statewide business and industry committees. He has participated in many major water policy forums and served on statewide task forces and advisory committees on drought planning, desalination, the California Bay-Delta, the California Water Plan and on water reliability and conservation issues.

McLaughlin, Ph.D., is an environmental scientist with extensive experience in water research projects associated with biogeochemical cycling and contaminant source tracking in coastal waters. She is a senior scientist with the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, a public agency providing impartial science for water quality management, where she serves as the regional monitoring coordinator, facilitating implementation of the Southern California Bight Regional Marine Monitoring Program.

Irvine Ranch Water District has been distinguished with a gold-level status from The Climate Registry for demonstrating exceptional leadership in meeting rigorous voluntary greenhouse gas reporting criteria.

The recognition was bestowed after nine years of verified greenhouse gas inventories reported through 2019. IRWD’s 2020 greenhouse gas inventory is being processed for approval and will soon qualify the District for 10 years of verified reporting.

In addition, IRWD received Water-Energy Leader Gold status for its participation in the organization’s Water-Energy Nexus Registry, a consortium of agencies that communicate the importance of tracking and reducing carbon emissions connected to California’s water systems.

“These are especially meaningful honors for IRWD, because they underscore so many of our values as a District,” said General Manager Paul Cook. “This includes environmental stewardship, transparency, accountability, and collaboration – all of which are essential to maximizing renewable resources and minimizing our impact on the environment.”

The Climate Registry oversees North America’s largest voluntary greenhouse gas registry, empowering organizations and public agencies to act on climate change by reducing their carbon emissions.

“Organizations that become Climate Registered are the leaders in a growing movement to address climate change by managing and reducing emissions at the subnational level,” said Amy Holm, executive director of The Climate Registry. “We have just over a decade to take action that will ensure we avoid the worst effects of climate change. This kind of leadership is needed now more than ever.”

IRWD’s history of sustainability began in the 1960s, when the District pioneered the reuse of an important resource: water. Today, recycled water makes up 28% of all water use in the District.

IRWD also operates several facilities to help meet the goals of its Energy and Greenhouse Gas Master Plan, which is being updated this year:

Biosolids and Energy Recovery Facility: Completed in 2021, this plant closes the loop on the recycled water process. Organic solids left over from the water recycling process are converted into a soil amendment and fuel. Biogas produced from the biosolids process generates energy to power the plant. Heat from the turbines and sludge dryer boosts efficiency.

Renewable Energy:  In addition to the biogas used at the biosolids plant, IRWD uses solar power to help meet the District’s energy needs. This includes:

• A 1-MW array of 2,360 solar modules at the Baker Water Treatment Plant.
• A 100-kW solar power array at the District’s Sand Canyon Avenue headquarters, which provides 20% of the building’s energy needs.
• A 250-kW system at the District’s Zone 3 reservoir.

Energy Storage Project: IRWD boasts one of the nation’s largest networks of high-efficiency lithium batteries that store energy and provide on-site power to District operations. The batteries provide power stored during off-peak hours for operations. That energy can also be used by Southern California as a Demand Response resource to provide resilience to the energy grid during periods of high usage – reducing the need for additional power plants to meet regional energy demands.

IRWD is pleased to announce the reopening of the Duck Club and Community Meeting Room. We are now accepting reservations for dates through Dec. 31, 2022. Due to current COVID-19 protocol, until further notice, meeting room capacities will be limited to 50%, masks will be required for unvaccinated guests, and a two-hour window will be implemented between reservations. To make a reservation, please visit IRWD.com/community/meeting-rooms.