Last month’s 6.4- and 7.1-magnitude earthquakes in Ridgecrest were a wake-up call for Orange County—a reminder that we all should be prepared.

IRWD has many safeguards in place to protect the reliability and quality of your drinking water. Our employees are trained in emergency response, and committed to restore services quickly. But in extreme situations, it’s smart to be ready for disruptions. The first 72 hours after any major emergency are critical times for self-sufficiency.

Here are three ways to make sure water isn’t a worry during this period:

1. Store it. Keep one gallon of water per person per day for three days—in clean, noncorrosive, tightly covered containers. You can use commercially bottled water or store tap water in heavy, opaque plastic containers with screw-on lids. Label the containers and replenish the water every six months.

2. Boil it. After a disaster, tap water may be tainted. Boil it for at least five minutes before drinking. Otherwise, strain it to remove sediment and treat it with household chlorine bleach at eight drops per gallon for clear water, 16 drops if the water is cloudy.

3. Find it. Your home already contains emergency water sources. You can drink the water from your toilet tank—not the bowl—unless cleaning chemicals have been added. Your water heater is another good source. (Cut the power to it, close the supply valve at the top, let it cool, turn on any hot water tap in your house to let air flow into your tank, then open the faucet at the bottom of the tank to drain the water.) For details and ideas, visit IRWD.com/services/emergency-faq and ready.gov/water.

EMERGENCY ALERTS: Sign up for IRWD’s emergency notification system, CodeRED, at IRWD.com/emergency-codered. The District also posts local alerts on Nextdoor.com, a social network for you and your neighbors

If your electricity went out in the recent Southern California Edison power outage, check your sprinkler timer today. If your timer doesn’t have a working backup battery, your programming may have been erased, which could cause you to use much more water than necessary.

Many timers without a backup battery will revert to a standard factory default setting — causing your sprinklers to operate for 10 minutes at each station every day until reprogrammed.

Look to see if the days and times on your timer are incorrect or flashing. If you are unsure about how to reprogram your timer, most user manuals can be found online or by contacting the manufacturer.

Change the timer’s backup battery every year to prepare for future power outages. Stay informed of planned and unplanned power outages in your area by visiting the SCE Outage Center.

Check your sprinkler timer’s watering schedule and compare it to IRWD’s suggested watering schedule. Start with the schedule below and increase the times only if your plants show signs of stress. If stress occurs in isolated areas, check your irrigation system for leaks or coverage gaps before increasing watering times.

Visit RightScapeNow.com/watering-guide to view:

• Spray head irrigation schedules for the full year, including percentage options
• Drip irrigation schedules
• Printable irrigation schedules in English and Spanish
• More tips on how to save water outdoors (and save money while doing it)

If you’ve ever thought about saving water by planting a colorful drought-tolerant landscape, IRWD has some new inspiration for you. Stop by our Sand Canyon Avenue office and check out our brand new succulent demonstration garden.

The idea for the garden was first broached by customers. It was planted in May and features myriad succulents such as:

• Coral Aloe – Used for bold textural accents in planting locations from full sun to partial shade, this plant has bright colored coral orange flower spikes during late winter and early spring.
• Emerald Empress – Considered one of the easiest plants to grow, the Emerald Empress tolerates heat and drought and will flourish in locations such as rooftop gardens and container gardens.
• Royal Ruby – Ideal for the rocky soil of rock gardens or planters, this succulent has rosettes ranging from ruby red to smoky grey-red and thrives with little care

Create your own succulent garden at home.

• Explore the demo gardens at RightScapeNow.com/demo-garden.
• To discover the many shapes, sizes and colors of succulents you can plant, visit RightScapeResources.com/search.php and click “Succulents.”
• If you replace all or part of your lawn with succulents, you might be eligible for a turf removal rebate. Learn more at RightScapeNow.com/rebates.

IRWD’s Succulent Demonstration Garden, irrigated with recycled water, is adjacent to the parking area at 15600 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine.

Drought-proof beauty

Purple pipe distinguishes IRWD’s recycled water system, but the concept behind it all is green.

• Recycling provides an environmentally sustainable and drought-proof source of water for landscape irrigation, agriculture and business—treating and reusing a precious resource.
• Recycled water keeps our urban landscape lush throughout the year.
• And it saves on irrigation costs for homeowners associations, parks, medians, schools and golf courses

In short, recycled water is what distinguishes our neighborhoods from others that depend on costly imported drinking water to irrigate public parkways and common areas.

Since 1963, Irvine Ranch Water District has been implementing a vision to integrate recycled water into the design of our community. Today, more than 80% of all public and commercial landscape areas in the District are irrigated with recycled water. 

More than just sprinklers

Besides landscaping, IRWD promotes many other commercial uses for recycled water to reduce demand on our drinking water sources. It is used in cooling towers, for toilet-fl ushing in commercial buildings, and for industrial applications such as concrete production and composting.

Every gallon of recycled water used for these purposes saves a gallon of drinking water. It’s all about the right water for the right use.