Patriotism. Love of country. Willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. In honor of this year’s Veterans Day, IRWD recognizes the service of veterans at the District.

Veterans Day honors all of those who have served the country in war or peace.

"We are all so very proud of the veterans who work with us at IRWD," General Manager Paul Cook said. "Veterans Day is a great opportunity to show our appreciation. To IRWD's veterans and military families, thank you for your service and sacrifice. It's an honor to work with you."

Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day, commemorating the end of World War I, and was later renamed by Congress so the day would honor American veterans of all stripes.

For Veterans Day 2018, a few of the veterans in the District shared their perspectives.

• Kevin Burton, executive director of engineering and water quality: “I love the way the military is treated these days. … They are appreciated. When you see what they do and what they go through, people appreciate and understand that.”
• George Sanchez, water maintenance supervisor: “My time in the Marine Corps was the best and hardest time of my life. Let’s never forget the real heroes serving overseas defending our country and our freedom.”
• Bill Wesson, water operations supervisor: “I feel connected to these veterans. I am patriotic for my country and understand the sacrifices they have made for our freedom.”

In that spirit, IRWD thanks all of our employees and customers who have bravely served our nation.

IRWD veterans gather at the Michelson Water Recycling Plant. From left are Rudy Perez, Bill Wesson, Gaspar Garza, Darin Nicholson, John Dayer, Joseph Sciabica and Anthony Lockhart

The holidays are fast approaching! Keep these tips in mind at home. Your pipes will thank you.

Keep grease out of drains. Grease from holiday turkeys, roasts and hams is a leading cause of sewage spills this time of year. Put leftover grease in containers with lids, such as jars, then throw them in the garbage. When cleaning a greasy pan, pour grease into a container, wipe excess grease from the pan with paper towels, and throw the towels away.

Don’t flush flushables. Despite the unfortunate name, “flushable” wipes are not flushable. Good old-fashioned toilet paper is made to disintegrate as it agitates in water. Flushables are not paper—they are made of plastic that can’t decompose or break into bits.

Toss the floss. Dental floss can clump in the pump. So keep your hygienist and your water worker happy by flossing every day—and then tossing the floss in the trash.

IRWD is proud to announce the launch of a newly redesigned homepage for our plant database website—RightScape Resources. The site offers relevant content, new technology and simple navigation, with a new, aesthetically pleasing look and feel.

The site features landscape ideas and tips on seeking professional advice, plus current information about IRWD’s services and programs, such as water efficiency rebates. It’s waiting for you to discover at RightScapeResources.com.

Lake Forest prides itself on meandering greenbelts and plentiful parks. Keeping them vibrant takes water—and recycled water is becoming the go-to source to irrigate the city’s public spaces.

IRWD is partnering right now with Lake Forest to convert irrigation systems along public parkways near Bake Parkway, Toledo Way and Jeronimo Road to use recycled water. Flowing through new purple pipe, this highly treated and disinfected sewer water is most commonly used for irrigation. The project, now under construction, will save an estimated four million gallons of drinking water per year.

It’s not the first recycled water project the city and the District have taken on. And it won’t be the last.

“Water-efficient landscaping has been a priority of our city for many years, and the use of recycled water for irrigation makes us good stewards of the environment as well as good stewards of tax dollars because it’s less expensive,” said Tom Wheeler, Lake Forest director of public works. “Water is too valuable to use just once.”

Water-efficient landscaping has been a priority too. In 2016, Lake Forest adopted a policy requiring drought-tolerant plants in new residential and commercial landscapes, with more relaxed guidelines in areas that use recycled water for irrigation. The city’s new Civic Center, under construction on Civic Center Drive, will use recycled water for landscaping and will be dual-plumbed to use recycled water for flushing toilets and urinals.