Looking for garden inspiration? You can find it in “The Dirt,” IRWD’s new electronic newsletter dedicated to promoting beautiful and water-efficient landscapes in our local Southern California climate.

This quarterly publication will provide helpful tips, resources, and ideas — everything you need to know to create a beautiful outdoor retreat with a plant and color palette that gives your yard interest and saves water, too.

Visit rightscapenow.com/the-dirt to view the spring issue and sign up to receive future copies in your email each season.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left many businesses, schools, homes and other buildings unused for weeks. Once people return to these structures, the water needs to be refreshed.

Under normal use, water pipes maintain a chlorine residual that protects public health and aesthetic water quality. Water that sits for a few weeks becomes stagnant.

To restore your building with fresh water, IRWD recommends that you take the following steps:

1. Identify all water taps, toilets, shower and bathtub fixtures, refrigerator/freezers with an icemaker or water supply, drinking fountains, and any other source of potable water.
2. Turn on all the water taps with drains simultaneously for 10-15 minutes. (Make sure to check that each drain is working properly).
3. While the taps are running with fresh water, flush each toilet to refresh the water tank and empty the old water from the toilet bowl.
4. Dump any old ice in the refrigerator/freezer, and continue to remove the new ice for 3-5 cycles. Run the water from the refrigerator dispenser to refill the water line to the refrigerator.
5. If the hot water has a sulfur smell or other odor, consider draining your water heater before use. (Follow manufacturers' directions carefully for safety and protection from water damage.) And make sure your water heater is set to at least 140°F.
6. Don't forget to check that all water taps have been turned off after flushing.

With these simple steps, you can restore fresh water to your building.

Refreshing the water will also refill drain traps that may have dried out due to evaporation. If your drain is producing an odor, adding water to the drain will fill the trap and create a barrier to prevent sewer gases from entering your home.

IRWD's water supply has continued to meet all state and federal requirements to ensure safe drinking water for our community. For more information, please contact Customer Service at CustomerService@irwd.com or 949-453-5500.

To learn more about health issues related to stagnant water and how to ensure your building is safe, read Guidance for Building Water Systems from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

He was best in the Southwest last year. Now he’s best in the nation.

Operations Supervisor Dave Paulson has been named the American Membrane Technology Association’s Operator of the Year, after receiving the Southwest Membrane Operator Association Chapter’s Operator of the Year Award in 2019.

Both honors were presented in recognition of Paulson’s many contributions to the field, as demonstrated through his work at IRWD.

“We are incredibly proud that Dave was recognized with this award,” General Manager Paul Cook said. “This is a really big deal, and well deserved.”

Paulson passed the accolades on to his team. “They’re the reason this department looks good,” he said. “Without them, we wouldn’t be successful.”

IRWD colleague Carl Spangenberg nominated Paulson for the award based on Dave’s work overseeing daily operations of three membrane treatment plants, (DATS, Wells 21/22 Desalter, and Irvine Desalter); 18 reservoir management systems; two disinfection booster stations; and the Shallow Groundwater Unit that is central to the El Toro Groundwater Remediation Facility.

Among Dave’s many contributions to the successful operation of IRWD’s water treatment facilities, standout accomplishments include the following:

• Identifying the use of alternative anti-scalants that reduced operating costs and enabled longer operating times at IRWD membrane plants;
• Creating a “reverse flush” clean-in-place method that has been implemented to improve the performance and efficiency of membrane filters;
• Upgrading ammonia tank level monitoring systems to an automated radar transmitter method that reduces exposure of ammonia vapor to operators;
• Developing a filing and labeling system for chemical deliveries to better manage inventory and supply; and
• Development of new patrol sheets and other administrative processes that enhance daily operations.

“Dave is a problem-solver and leads by example and action,” Spangenberg said. “While under Dave’s supervision, the District has experienced no lost time at all three membrane plants. Dave always puts safety first when it comes to the daily operation activities.”

Paulson spent 10 years trying to get into the water industry, but the idea of water as a career came to him much earlier. At age 15 or 16, he was sitting out front in his yard one day, when he noticed the water meter reader making stops along his street.

“The guy had shorts on, and he was working outdoors,” Paulson said. “I thought, ‘That seems like a good job for me.’”

He worked in plumbing for a while, then finally landed a job as a meter reader at Trabuco Canyon Water District. He came to IRWD in 2011, first as an Operator II, then worked his way through the ranks to Water Operator III, then to Water Operations Supervisor.

During that time, he earned his Grade 5 Distribution Certificate, his Grade 4 Water Treatment Certificate, associate’s degrees in water treatment and water science distribution, and a bachelor’s degree in public administration, which he said gives him a broad understanding of how public agencies work.

“I think we all feel lucky to be here at Irvine Ranch Water District,” Paulson said. “I see all these great things happening, and I’m just grateful and humbled to be a part of it.”

This isn’t the first time a member of the IRWD Team has received the American Membrane Technology Association’s Operator of the Year award. Former Water Operations Supervisor Wayne Wright received the award in 2010.

(In photo above, IRWD General Manager Paul Cook, Executive Director of Operations Wendy Chambers, and Operations Manager Ken Pfister celebrate Paulson's award with him at the Potable Treatment Plant, where masks are being worn as a COVID-19 safety measure.) 

We want to assure our customers that your drinking water is safe and reliable. The same holds true for recycled water, which is used primarily for watering public landscape.

Standard treatment processes for both drinking and recycled water eliminate microorganisms and viruses. The coronavirus is particularly susceptible to these disinfection methods.

• Drinking water: Most of IRWD’s drinking water comes from deep groundwater wells, which do not contain viruses or other pathogenic organisms.  Some of our water supply is imported surface water, which receives advanced water treatment that removes all microorganisms including viruses. All water is dosed with chlorine before entering the water distribution system to ensure that it stays safe through our system to your home.
• Recycled water: Recycled water is water that has been safely treated for reuse after it goes down the drain. It is used for irrigation of public landscape, toilet-flushing in some commercial buildings, air-conditioning cooling towers, and for industrial applications such as concrete production and composting. Although recycled water is not for drinking, it undergoes similar treatment processes to remove pathogens. Sewage treatment systems are specifically designed to remove pathogenic organisms prior to recycling or discharge to the environment.

U.S. and California water regulations require treatment processes that eliminate micro-organisms such as viruses that may spread disease. They also require that water suppliers demonstrate compliance with continuous monitoring of the water supply.

Ongoing testing is a part of the oversight: IRWD water quality staff continuously monitors our water supply, conducting more than a quarter of a million laboratory tests each year on water taken from more than 100 sample points.

We have a state-of-the-art and certified Water Quality Laboratory.  IRWD's commitment to innovation makes it one of the best-equipped water labs in Southern California. Drinking water test results are published in the Annual Water Quality report and show that IRWD drinking water meets or exceeds all quality standards set by both the state and federal government.

More information:

• Drinking water safety.
• Recycled water safety.