When it comes to delivering safe water to our customers, the bottom line is that Irvine Ranch Water District meets or exceeds all state and federal guidelines for drinking water.

Ensuring that quality on a day-to-day basis is the primary responsibility of seven dedicated members of the IRWD Regulatory Compliance Monitoring team who fan out into the community, gathering water samples from one or more of the approximately 200 drinking water sampling sites located in the District. 

“Typically, Mondays and Tuesdays are set aside for sampling potable (drinking) water,” said IRWD Senior Scientist John Hayes.

Results of potable water sampling are compiled in the annual Water Quality Report, which is sent out to customers and available on our website.

The sampling sites are located throughout the community. Quite possibly, you might have noticed these sampling cans and wondered what they were, or you might not have noticed them at all. They are designed to pleasantly blend in with the landscape.

Each sampling site chosen represents a portion of the IRWD service area, with accessibility and safety to the field crews in mind. Sampling cans are all painted the same color of light brown with a slight difference – potable water samplings cans have blue decals, while recycled water sampling cans have purple decals. Each can contains a lock that may only be opened by a member of the monitoring team.

Water from IRWD drinking water tank reservoirs and all of the IRWD drinking water wells are also sampled and tested weekly.

Non-Drinking Water Monitoring

In addition to potable water, samples are collected from the San Joaquin Marsh and 11 other Natural Treatment System sites, from Irvine Lake, recycled water reservoirs, and both of the District’s water recycling plants, as well as 26 recycled water distribution system sample sites.

Twice a month, monitoring crews take samples from Irvine Lake, which is the source of raw water treated at the new Baker Water Treatment Plant and also used for some crop irrigation in the IRWD service area. Water in Irvine Lake comes from Lake Matthews in Riverside County. Fine-meshed nets are used to monitor quagga mussel larvae. Quagga Mussels are an invasive species, which multiply at a rapid rate and can clog water delivery pipes. In addition, the lake is monitored for dissolved metals at different depths.

Protecting the Environment

The Water Quality Monitoring Team also plays a key role in IRWD environmental stewardship, with five members of the team overseeing certain responsibilities:

• Industrial waste – the IRWD service area has many industrial-related businesses. IRWD conducts pre-treatment inspections of businesses to ensure no industrial waste is dumped into the sewer system, which could cause upsets in the District’s two wastewater treatment plants.
• Underground storage tank program – IRWD has tanks that provide diesel and gasoline to operate the District’s extensive fleet. These tanks are inspected weekly to ensure there are no leaks.
• Above ground storage tanks containing petroleum-related chemicals at various sites are inventoried once a year and inspected once a week for leaks.
• Hazardous waste program – used motor oil and filters, anti-freeze and paint are stored until they are properly disposed of. The county conducts an annual inspection of the storage site.
• Universal waste – light tubes, circuit boards and batteries and any other “e-waste” is collected and properly disposed of.

More information about water quality is available at our website.

You say you missed the last RightScape workshop? Never fear, more have been scheduled!

These informative workshops will help you learn about the right plants, the right equipment and the right schedule to get you on the road to saving water and having a beautiful landscape.

The next Soil, Water and Plant Relationships workshop is scheduled for this Wednesday, May 10, 6-8:30 p.m. at the Irvine Ranch Water District headquarters office, 15600 Sand Canyon Avenue. Learn about building up your soil, composting, plant development, and proper watering.

Saturday, May 13, award-winning California native landscape designer Rob Moore will be featured at IRWD from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Learn how to landscape using California native plants. Learn about native plant communities, proper planting techniques, pruning, watering and overall care.

The Thursday, June 15 Turf Be Gone workshop will be held at IRWD, 6-8:30 p.m.

The OC Master Gardeners Composting Workshops and the Garden Design: From Concept to Finish will be held at the South Coast Research and Extension Center, 7601 Irvine Boulevard, Irvine.

OC Master Gardeners Composting Workshops – Wednesday May 24 or Wednesday, June 21, 3-5 p.m. Learn about traditional composting and vermicomposting (using worms). Event will be held outside in the composting demonstration area. Enter drawings for a chance to win a kitchen counter composter, compost turner, and a large outdoor composting bin.

Three-part garden design series is free and open to the public. Each class builds in the preceding one to provide a deeper understanding of garden design. The workshop series is limited to 24 participants per class. Participants must attend all three workshops:

• Garden Design Basics, Saturday, June 3, 9-11 a.m.
• Efficient Irrigation, Saturday, June 10, 9-11 a.m.
• Putting it all Together, Saturday, June 24, 9-11 a.m.

Signups are required for all workshops at rightscapenow.com/events.

Thinking of removing your water-thirsty grass and replacing it with water-friendly plants? Look no further than the IRWD Turnkey Turf Removal Program, which simplifies the process.

Residential customers can relax and leave it to IRWD’s drought-tolerant landscape expert, WaterWise Consulting, Inc. (WWC), which manages the project from start to finish.

The first step toward a water-wise yard is a meeting with WWC’s landscape design consultant to discuss vision and goals for the project. Once the design is finalized, a project team will remove existing grass, install new drought-friendly plants and convert the irrigation system to drip irrigation.

Eligible residential customers can receive a rebate up to $2,000 per site for turf removed. Sites must have a minimum of 500 square feet of grass removed to qualify for the Turnkey Turf program. If your site has less than this, check out the Do-It-Yourself program at rightscapenow.com/turf-removal/diy-turf-removal.

Program participants are responsible for obtaining any required design approvals from their homeowners association. Program details on available on our website.

Spring Break has ended, now it’s time to begin planning for summer camp. The Irvine Ranch Water District San Joaquin Marsh provides the ideal setting for fun and learning. Opportunities abound for youngsters age seven to 12.

Sea and Sage Audubon Society will once again host its popular nature camps as it has done for more than 20 years and Discovery Science Center returns with Summer Smiles and Project Discovery camps.

All of these camps fill up quickly, so sign up now!

Sea and Sage’s Fledgling Camp is for 7-8-year-olds and scheduled for June 26-30, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Campers will enjoy bird walks, journaling, songs, art projects and games.

Marsh Bird Camp is geared toward those nine-12 years old and is scheduled June 19-23, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Participants will explore all aspects of marsh bird life, take daily nature walks and have a visit from the Birds of Prey Center.

Coastal Camp is for ages 11 and up and requires Marsh Camp experience. Camp is scheduled July 10-14, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. The camp covers all aspects of coastal shorebirds and their habitats, with two off-site days on Tuesday and Thursday at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve and Crystal Cove State Beach. The week includes bird walks, journaling, crafts and other related activities.

Advanced Bird Camp is for campers 11 years and older and requires Marsh Camp experience. Camp takes place July 24-28, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Campers learn about birds of Southeast Arizona. They will also paint a wood bird model seen in that area. Other activities include nature walks, keeping a daily nature journal, sketching and more.

Visit the Sea and Sage website for information.

Discovery camps begin with Project Discovery the week of July 3. Other weeks include July 10-14, July 24-28, August 7-11, and August 14-18. Duration of camp is 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Campers will investigate chemical reactions, design, construct, test, and compete with a series of hand-made devices like roller coasters and catapults. Project Discovery is for children seven-10 years old.

Summer Smiles is for the five-seven-year-old set, with dates of July 17-21 and July 31-August 4, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. During this camp, youngsters will investigate the world of marshland plants and animals, while also focusing on a series of children’s storybooks. Hands-on activities include concocting gooey slime, creating a cloud in a bottle, and designing a bug.

Visit Discovery Science Center’s website for more information.