White House Water Summit Honors California Data Collaborative
Seven California Water Agencies Unify Water Conservation Efforts
by Sharing Data from 3.7 Million People.
The White House Water Summit has recognized the efforts of seven California water agencies, the California Data Collaborative, to fast track and enhance water conservation efforts by teaming together to share data and knowledge. The Collaborative is joint effort of seven California public water agencies to establish and accelerate the development of smart conservation targets by collectively leveraging water use data from the 3.7 million people the agencies serve. Over the next six months the Collaborative, it will use its more than 1.8 billion records to develop a new, statewide water conservation framework customized to the unique needs of California’s diverse communities.
There is no single source in California for validated water agency data for use in conducting analytics to inform strategic demand management decisions. This became apparent during the spring of 2015, when statewide water conservation targets without the benefit of good data. Good data is extremely valuable to identify opportunities for future demand management programs, as well as help identify whether programs are effective.
“We are extremely pleased to have the White House recognize our efforts here in Southern California,” said Joone Lopez, General Manager for Mouton Nigel Water Agency, the California agency administering the joint effort. “The Collaborative is working with water agencies throughout the State along with various academic institutions including University of California, Davis, University of California, Riverside and Stanford, to bring big-data applications to the water industry, a strategy that has proven to be effective and successful in private and other large municipalities.”
With more than a thousand water providers in California, having comprehensive and consistent data has been a long-standing obstacle to meaningful and practical water policies over the years. As focus on conservation and water efficiency continues to increase, the ability to use data to evaluate current actions, identify opportunities, and develop new strategies that strike a balance between efficiency and local supply investment is critical.
“We are thankful for the recognition from the White House and proud of the great work that’s being done through the California Data Collaborative,” added Board President Don Froelich of MNWD. “The more we know, the more we can do to help our customers be efficient and mitigate rate impacts by making sound investments towards future reliability.”
The current drought is the worst in 500 years, and California faces substantial water supply uncertainty looking into the next century. Yet by collaborating smartly, we can prepare our State to adapt to future challenges.
About the California Data Collaborative
The California Data Collaborative is a coalition of municipal water utilities dedicated to sharing water usage data to enable smarter water conservation. Current participants include Agencies: East Bay Municipal Utility District; Eastern Municipal Water District; Inland Empire Utilities Agency; Irvine Ranch Water District; Las Virgenes Municipal Water District; and Santa Margarita Water District. The goal is to have agencies throughout the State work together to help each other to better serve all Californians. Download backgrounder
About the White House Water Summit:
For the first time, the White House hosted a Water Summit to recognize innovative and pioneering efforts across the nation that promote water efficiency and management. The California Data Collaborative was selected from a national pool of applicants through an open call for innovative projects. More information is available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/03/22/fact-sheet-working-together-build-sustainable-water-future
Media Contact:
Patrick Atwater, Project Manager
patrickatwater@gmail.com
(818) 259-2709
Visit the San Joaquin Marsh in Spring
It’s springtime and the Irvine Ranch Water District San Joaquin Marsh is waking up. If you have never visited the Marsh, or if it has been a while, this is a wonderful time of year to get acquainted with this urban jewel.
The Marsh is a reconstructed wetland designed to clean urban runoff from the San Diego Creek before it reaches environmentally sensitive Upper Newport Bay. Besides enhancing water quality, the Marsh provides a home to some 230 species of birds and other wildlife, making it a park-like setting.
In addition, the marsh contains 12 miles of meandering hiking trails on approximately 320 acres and is open 365 days a year, dawn to dusk. The campus is also home to the Audubon House and the IRWD visitor’s center, both open to the public daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Marsh contains mostly native plants. When IRWD began rehabilitating the Marsh in the late 1990s, crews faced a daunting task of eradicating many unwelcome, non-native species, such as artichoke thistle and yellow-flowered black mustard plants. Landscape crews continue to monitor for any appearance of these plants and they are removed immediately.
During the spring, the marsh plants begin to bloom and regain their color after winter dormancy. Visit the Marsh for spring planting ideas, and take a walk through the butterfly garden in the Marsh’s meadow.
A recent addition to the Marsh, and also a work in progress, is the Pollinator’s Garden. This was designed to attract bees, which are responsible for pollinating about one-third of the food consumed by humans. Development of the garden began in October and includes a variety of native plants so something is in flower during each season.
More information about the San Joaquin Marsh is available on our website.
IRWD Wins California 2015 Sewage Collection System of the Year
On March 15th, Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) was selected as the winner of the 2015 California Water Environment Association (CWEA) Sewage Collection System of the Year Award. The District took home top honors in the large-agency category, which includes organizations that manage more than 500 miles of sewer pipeline.
“We’re thrilled to be recognized as California’s Large Collection System of the Year,” said Paul Cook, General Manager of the Irvine Ranch Water District. “Our goal has always been to provide outstanding services at cost-effective rates for all of the communities in our service area, so receiving this award reaffirms our ongoing commitment to excellence on behalf of our customers.”
Earlier this month, IRWD was chosen as Sewage Collection System of the Year for the Santa Ana River Basin Section, which includes Orange County, as well as parts of San Diego and Riverside Counties. After winning the regional award, IRWD moved on to compete for the title of best sewage collection system in California.
The annual award is presented to the agency that has demonstrated excellence in the programs and procedures of sewage collection. Agencies are judged on factors that include regulatory compliance, administrative procedures, maintenance, safety & training programs, emergency response procedures, and significant accomplishments including funding and investing in capital projects.
IRWD has provided sewage collection services to Orange County residents for over 50 years. The District currently manages more than 1,000 miles of sewer pipeline, operates 2 recycled water facilities with a combined treatment capacity of 35 million gallons per day and maintains approximately 97,000 sewer service connections. The District cleaned more than 660 miles of sewer pipeline last year.
IRWD previously won the California Large-Size Agency Collection System of the Year in 2000 and the Medium-Size Agency Collection System of the Year in 1996.
For more information on IRWD’s sewer services, please visit the IRWD website.
2016 Landscape Makeover Contest Winners
Over 250 IRWD customers participated in IRWD's Winter 2016 Landscape Makeover Giveaway Contest. The four customers with the most water savings will each receive a landscape makeover valued up to $6,500. The winners of the Winter 2016 Rightscape Contest are:
- Brian Joe - Irvine
- Maria Angel - Irvine
- WIlbur Bhagat - Tustin
- Patricia Grawburg - Irvine
Thank you to all of the IRWD customers who participated in the contest. In total, contest participants saved nearly 1.5 million gallons of water during the period of December 2015 to February 2016.
What are some of the actions participants took to cut back on water use at their homes?
- Limited outdoor water use
- Replaced grass with drought friendly plants
- Fixed leaks in a quick manner
- Took shorter showers
- Used sink and shower water for irrigation
- Ran full loads of laundry
IRWD will document the progress of one or more of the landscape makeover projects and post all of the best photos and other information online at rightscapenow.com.
IRWD Customers Reduce Water Use 15 Percent; Per Capita Water Use Falls to All-Time Low
Over the last nine months IRWD customers have reduced their collective water usage by 15 percent, equating to 2.3 billion gallons of water savings. When combined with ongoing population growth in central Orange County, residential per capita water use in the IRWD service area was down to 53 gallons per day for the month of February, which is a new record low for the District.
Despite a February that was the warmest on record and that delivered much less rain than anticipated, IRWD customers continue to use less water than ever before, which is greatly needed in the midst of ongoing drought and restrictive statewide water use regulations. Emergency regulations were recently extended through October 2016 to help ensure water conservation continues in urban areas throughout the summer.
While IRWD’s residential customers have significantly cut back in recent years, the District has observed decreased water consumption in each of its customer classes, which includes Multi-Family, Commercial, Irrigation, Industrial and Institutional. IRWD has historically offered a variety of water conservation programs and resources aimed at helping customers of all types and sizes use less water.
Total per capita water use in the District over the past 12-month period was approximately 125 gallons per day, another all-time low. This compares with 12-month daily per capita water use rates of 150 gallons or more in recent years. In February 2016 alone, total per capita water use was 104 gallons per day.
As part of its ongoing commitment to provide customers with simple and cost-effective means of saving water, IRWD created a new website dedicated to its many water use efficiency programs. RightScapeNow.Com offers a wealth of information, including rebates, landscape design, events & classes and much, much more.
With Spring around the corner, customers are encouraged to consider the following actions for helping reduce their water use during the warmer months:
- Color Your World with a Drought Friendly Landscape – Discover program options and available rebates at the IRWD Turf Removal Center.
- Attend our FREE landscape design and other Rightscape workshops. Details at RightScapeNow.com/events.
- Purchase drought friendly plants at an upcoming Home Depot Garden Sale Event. Next event is scheduled for March 19th at 8 AM at 6200 Irvine Blvd in Irvine.
- Perform your own home water check-up. Learn more at the IRWD Online Training Center.
