The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015 will take place at the Orange County Great Park on eight days over two weekends beginning on October 8.

The event features highly efficient solar powered houses designed and built by collegiate teams, in addition to sponsor exhibits and a variety of activities. IRWD will provide the water to fill the tanks of each of the homes, and will transport the gray water once the event concludes. In addition, IRWD will supply drinking water for the entire venue.

Teaming up for their first Solar Decathlon competition under the name “Team Orange County” are the University of California, Irvine; Chapman University; Irvine Valley College, and Saddleback College. The team designed an innovative, net-zero-energy house that draws inspiration from the California state flower: the golden poppy. Like the flower, Casa Del Sol is drought-resistant and architecturally adapted to Southern California. It features an open design with a flex floor plan and separate studio for multigenerational living or a possible rental.

The Solar Decathlon houses will be open to visitors from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday-Sunday, October 8-11 and October 15-18. Admission is free. More information is available at http://www.solardecathlon.gov/.

If someone knocks on your door claiming to be an IRWD employee or a contractor working with the District, don’t be afraid to ask for their identification.

Contact IRWD at (949) 453-5300 if you are ever in doubt about any person who shows up to your home claiming to work for the District. If you are unsure that the person at your home is a legitimate IRWD employee, you may ask the person to leave and IRWD staff can assist you with a rescheduled visit.

IRWD Uniforms, ID Badges and Vehicles

Most IRWD field crew members wear an IRWD uniform with the IRWD logo above the left-hand shirt pocket and the employee’s name on the right side. IRWD Water Efficiency team members usually wear blue or white polo shirts with an IRWD logo embroidered on the left side.

In addition to uniforms, all IRWD employees carry photo identification badges and are required to show them on request. The badges should display the employee’s name, title, photo, IRWD logo and a hologram. IRWD staff can also provide business cards.

Many, but not all IRWD employees drive an IRWD vehicle when reporting to a customer’s home for a service call or appointment. All IRWD vehicles have the IRWD logo prominently displayed in one or more locations.

IRWD Will Never Attempt to Sell You Anything

IRWD staff and contractors will not show up at a customer’s residence without some kind of an appointment. Exceptions include emergencies, service shut-on or shut-off and water meter repair.

IRWD employees and its contractors will never show up unannounced at your front door attempting to sell you any type of product or service. If a person does this and states they are working for or with the District, they are being dishonest and should be immediately reported to IRWD and local law enforcement officials.

IRWD Contractors

IRWD works with several contractors that provide various services to the District’s customers. No contractor should be on your property without an agreed-upon appointment. These individuals will not be driving District vehicles, but should be able to produce identification and a letter confirming they are authorized to be there.

IRWD also employs Alexander Contract Services for meter reading services. These contracted employees wear vests identifying themselves as meter readers. They will never engage customers without being approached first.

For more information, please visit www.irwd.com or call 949-453-5300.

Nine intrepid volunteers from a Northwood High School environmental studies class were determined to unearth the treasure from San Diego Creek. They dug through the muck and mud, using their gloved hands and makeshift shovels of sticks and discarded PVC.

After about an hour, the treasure – a shopping cart - was freed and rolled to the waiting trash bin. Following a quick hydration break, the group headed out to see what else they could find.

The shopping cart, along with construction debris that might have fallen off trucks on the freeway, foam cups and drink lids, cans and bottles were pulled out of the creek during Inner-Coastal Watershed Clean Up Day on Saturday, September 19. IRWD has hosted this site for the past 15 years in conjunction with Trails 4All, the event’s founder. The clean up coincides with Coastal Clean Up Day.

Unlike that clean up event, the goal of Inner-Coastal Watershed Clean Up Day is to clean trash from creeks and streams that empty out into bays and beaches. Around 40 volunteers turned out to clean the creek of all manner of trash and recyclables.

Many of the students would receive community service hours through their schools. Over the years, more than 28,000 volunteers have cleaned up one million pounds of trash and recyclables at sites in Orange and Riverside counties.

The annual Urban Landscape and Garden Education Expo is set for Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine. The facility is located at 7601 Irvine Boulevard. This is the seventh year that Irvine Ranch Water District participated in this event.

Included in the daylong event are guided garden walks, discussions about gardening and irrigation practices, and plant sales. Fifty percent of all household water use is in the yard, so visitors will learn about drought-friendly plants and how they can reduce water use around the landscape.

There is no charge for admission to this event. Here's a sampling of what customers can expect at the open house:

• Docent-led tours
• A RightScape presentation by IRWD
• Children's activity - seed planting and match-the-seed game
• Urban chickens - how to raise and care for chickens
• Sampling of fruit grown at the Extension Center
• Garden tool sharpening by the OC Blacksmith Guild
• Tram tours of the demonstration orchard
• Irrigation demonstrations

Visit the South Coast Research and Extension Center website for information.