Looking for an original gift for your friend, neighbor or family member? We’ve got you covered! These water-efficient presents will bring a holiday smile to anyone eager to conserve water.

5-minute shower timers and low-flow showerheads. It’s never too late to develop the good habit of conserving water. With either of these gifts, your loved one can enjoy a full-force shower while saving water and cutting the energy bill. They’re available at online shopping sites and local retail or home-improvement stores.

Holly shrubs. These Yuletide classics tolerate low watering and add a festive pop to a yard, with red berries in the winter and white fl owers in the spring. Among drought-tolerant species that thrive in Orange County are burford holly and toyon, which attract butterfl ies and birds. (Learn about them on rightscaperesources.com.) Be careful though, because eating holly berries can be dangerous to people or pets.

Rebates. Give the gift of water savings, and keep a little money in your pocket too.

A high-efficiency clothes washer uses 55 percent less water than a standard washer, saving about 75,000 gallons over its lifetime. Save up to $250 on your purchase.

Are you dreaming of a new landscape? Get $2 for every square foot of grass you replace with drought-tolerant landscaping.

Other rebates include $150 for high-efficiency toilets, $255 for weather-based irrigation controllers, $35 per rain barrel, and $2 for sprinkler nozzles.

See details at rightscapenow.com/rebates.

Irvine Ranch Water District Director Steven E. LaMar has been elected vice president of the Association of California Water Agencies.

“It’s an honor to be selected by colleagues throughout the state,” said LaMar, elected to a two-year term last week at the organization’s 2017 Fall Conference & Exhibition in Anaheim. “I’m looking forward to applying some of the same innovative approaches learned at IRWD to statewide water issues.”

Brent Hastey, chairman of the Yuba County Water Agency, was elected ACWA president. He and LaMar will take office in January.

ACWA – the statewide association of public water agencies – has guided water policy since 1910, helping members to economically and responsibly serve California’s cities, farms and businesses.

“Despite significant differences in water sources and demands for ACWA’s 440 member agencies, I am excited to have an opportunity to work in a united fashion to meet California’s future water needs,” said LaMar, who has been a member of the IRWD Board of Directors since 2009, serving multiple terms as board president. “Urban water agencies need to support agricultural water deliveries to ensure sustainable food supplies, and we all need to work together to address changing climate projections.”

LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP HONORED

Also at the conference, ACWA presented IRWD with the association’s Most Compelling Case Award, for outreach work promoting long-term water efficiency legislation. IRWD shared the honor with the Sacrament area’s Regional Water Authority, its partner in the effort. The award was accepted by Government Relations Manager Christine Compton, who spearheaded the effort for IRWD. 

IRWD Government Relations Manager Christine Compton, center, shows off the Most Compelling Case Award at the ACWA conference. With her, from left, are IRWD Board President Douglas J. Reinhart, IRWD Executive Director of Finance and Administration Cheryl Clary, IRWD General Manager Paul Cook, Regional Water Authority Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Program Manager Adam W. Robin, IRWD Board Vice President Peer Swan, IRWD Director Mary Aileen Matheis, IRWD Executive Director for Water Policy Paul Weghorst, IRWD Public Affairs Manager John Fabris, and IRWD Director Steven E. LaMar.

The holiday season can be a frenzied time. While you’re running here and there all around the square, make sure your faucets aren’t running too. Practice these holiday water habits:

Entertain efficiently. Defrost frozen foods in the fridge overnight instead of thawing them out in tap water. Wash vegetables in a large bowl of water rather than running the faucet—then reuse the water in your garden.

Be mindful after mealtime. Scrape dirty dishes clean and dump the scrapings in the trash instead of rinsing the dishes with water. Remember not to pour fats, oils or grease down the drain. To reduce loads in the dishwasher, be sure to fi ll it up and use water-saving settings if available.

Sing in the shower. Singing is good for the soul—and can help you reduce your shower time. Aim to sing just one carol while you’re lathering—then zip out when your song is through. A few suggestions to get you in the spirit: “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (Mariah Carey), “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” (*NSYNC), “Frosty the Snowman” (The Ronettes), “Santa Baby” (Eartha Kitt), “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” (The Jackson 5), and to inspire the Sierra snowpack this winter, “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” (Michael Bublé).

Southern California Edison has presented the Irvine Ranch Water District with a $139,047 incentive check for energy savings related to a long-term water recycling project.

General Electric developed a proprietary enhancement for the existing Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) system that was installed at IRWD’s Michelson Water Recycling Plant in 2014.  IRWD installed the next-generation MBR wastewater treatment technology called LEAPmbr, which reduces operational costs.

“It has exceeded original projections of energy savings,” IRWD General Manager Paul Cook said.

The LEAPmbr system provides the lowest lifecycle costs available from any MBR technology, as well as cost savings, and operational simplicity combined with a compact footprint and reinforced hollow-fiber ultrafiltration technologies.

“In simple terms, the technology allows for more efficient cleaning of the membranes, ensuring lower energy usage over time,” SCE account manager James Pasmore said during a check presentation at the Nov. 27 meeting of the IRWD Board of Directors.

Extensive analysis – coordinated between Hao Bui of SCE and Tom Bonkowski and Joe Lam of IRWD – originally estimated that the retrofit would save 666,855 kWh and 125.10 kW yearly. Installation was completed in late April 2017, data was logged during the summer, and final savings numbers exceeded expectations, delivering 843,361kWh and 167kW in verified reductions. Alex Coria, Gaspar Garza and Ricky Ruiz were also part of the project team.

This translates to a 3.5-year return on investment for the customer and represents 628 tons of avoided greenhouse gas emissions.

According to Pasmore, that’s the energy equivalent of:

• 134 passenger vehicles driven for a year.
• 1.5 million miles driven by an average passenger vehicle.
• 70,625 gallons of gasoline consumed.
• 67.8 homes’ energy use for a year.