Resolve to be Water Efficient in the New Year
We’ve had years of drought and there’s no way to tell if this year will be different. If you’ve already adopted water efficient practices in your yard, thank you very much. If not, make a resolution to do it this year.
Join Roger and Professor Wright. Take the pledge to use The Right Plants, The Right Schedule and The Right Equipment in 2015.
Our RightScape program makes it easy. Visit RightScapeNow.com for a comprehensive list of California appropriate and drought resistant plants, tips on installing the right equipment, and videos that teach you how to program those often-confusing sprinkler timers. You can also learn about all our rebates. Save water, save money, and get cash back, just by being water wise.
Let’s all work together for water efficiency in 2015! Make your New Year’s resolution today!
Fall Back for Water Efficiency on Nov. 2 and Maybe You Could Win $50 Home Depot Gift Card
As part of our all new RightScape program, IRWD is reminding customers to adjust their irrigation controllers and sprinkler times when daylight saving time ends on Nov. 2. Roger is doing it, and you should too!
Daylight saving spring and fall clock changes actually coincides with seasonal changes in weather. That’s when irrigation controllers and sprinkler times should change. It’s time to lower your water use as the weather cools, humidity increases and we have potential for rain.
Checking your irrigation controller when you change your clocks is a good habit to get into. It’s a great time to check your sprinklers for leaks, too.
Let’s all work together for water efficiency! Post a picture of yourself changing your sprinkler settings to our facebook page (facebook.com/IrvineRanchWaterDistrict) or email it to rightscape@irwd.com. Three people will win a $50 Home Depot gift card. Everyone that enters can pick up a complimentary sprinkler key in the IRWD Sand Canyon office lobby.
Contest ends December 15.
For water efficiency… Let’s get it RIGHT
Irvine Ranch Water District is ready to help you make the right decisions about water efficiency. We call it RightScape – Water Efficiency Made Easy. It’s three basic steps that you manage at home. The results are extraordinary - beautiful landscapes with lower water use. All you have to do is select and manage The Right Plants, The Right Schedule and The Right Equipment.
We are pleased to introduce Professor Wright and his trusty pal Roger. Water efficiency isn’t rocket science, but even Professor Wright doesn’t get it right all the time. Like many of us, Professor Wright knows water savings is the right thing to do but he can’t always figure out how to make it all happen. Sometimes he needs a nudge, a push or a reminder. Luckily, Roger is there to help Professor Wright -- and all of us -- make the right decisions. Roger is our knowledgeable adviser in a quest for simple and sustainable ways to ensure water efficiency at home. With Professor Wright and Roger working together, they will encourage everyone in the Irvine Ranch Water District to be water efficient.
Isn’t it time for you to RightScape your yard? Check out our helpful information, videos and easy-to-follow tips. Water efficiency is a necessary way of life but it doesn’t have to impact your outdoor lifestyle.
For more information visit http://www.irwd.com/save-water-money/rightscape.
IRWD Board of Directors Supports Water Bond for November 2014 Ballot
The Irvine Ranch Water District Board of Directors has adopted a formal position in support of the $7.545 billion water bond measure set for the statewide November ballot in California.
Titled the Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, the bond will appear as Proposition 1 on the ballot. The IRWD Board voted to support the measure, saying it contains much-needed funding for new surface and groundwater storage projects, regional water reliability, sustainable groundwater management and cleanup, water recycling, water conservation, watershed protection and safe drinking water, particularly for disadvantaged communities.
The bond measure was approved in a bipartisan vote by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Aug. 13. It is considered a critical element of the state’s comprehensive water plan. Approval of Proposition 1 will make funding available, on a competitive basis, for a variety of water supply and reliability infrastructure projects. IRWD would be able to seek funding for local projects including:
- Water Recycling
- Conservation
- Groundwater Protection
- Water Quality Improvement Projects
Funds from Proposition 1 will be awarded on a competitive basis. IRWD projects that compete and receive funding from Proposition 1 are expected to increase IRWD’s water supply reliability and reduce the District’s reliance on imported water from the State Water Project and the Colorado River.
Proposition 1’s water storage funding will add greater flexibility to the state’s water management system and will help ensure a more reliable water supply to serve the state’s diverse needs, both human and environmental. Greater flexibility and reliability in the state’s water systems benefits IRWD because the District remains partially dependent on imported water.
For more information on Proposition 1, please click here.
IRWD Financial Plan Includes Infrastructure Repair and Replacement Funds
IRWD has established a solid financial foundation to continue its tradition of excellent service and low rates for our customers. A key element of this foundation is setting aside funds annually to pay for future expenses related to refurbishing and replacing the District’s infrastructure assets. These are the assets that enable IRWD to provide, both now and in the future, a highly reliable and cost-effective water and sewer service to more than 380,000 residents of Orange County.
IRWD serves about one fifth of Orange County and has facilities worth over $1 billion that include more than 1,500 miles of drinking water pipelines, more than 900 miles of sewer pipes, 53 reservoirs and two large water recycling facilities. In fiscal year 2014-15, IRWD will invest over $150 million for new facilities and replacement of facilities that have reached the end of their useful lives. Looking out over the next 20 years, IRWD’s future capital infrastructure plan has more than 500 planned projects.
All of IRWD’s facilities, whether it be the groundwater wells, pump stations, or pipelines, will need to be repaired at some point and eventually replaced. To prepare for both short-term and long-term expenditures for these projects, IRWD has planned extensively for the infrastructure needs of our customers by designating over $350 million in restricted funds for this purpose.
For many years, IRWD has honored its commitment to protect our customers from unnecessary and costly increases in rates through sound business practices, both technical and financial. Proactive planning for the future provides IRWD customers today’s gold standard in service and reliability at the lowest possible cost.
