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.
Get all of the Answers on the IRWD Website
- How Do I Find? This section is your place to go for your water bill. “Customer Login” gives you complete access to your IRWD account. Quick access to other services you can do online includes starting or stopping your service, requesting a variance, and how to check for leaks.
- Payment Options. There are several ways to pay your bill. You can pay online through eBill, by smartphone with the Check Mobile App, over the telephone or computer with BillMatrix (for a $3.25 fee), by mail, in person or through the drop box located in the parking lot of our offices at 15600 Sand Canyon Avenue in Irvine.
- Payment Questions. This gives answers to all of your water bill questions, such as, “Why is my bill so high” and advice on how to avoid interruptions in your water service.
- Rates and Charges. Wondering about the IRWD budget based rate structure? This section will help you understand how your bill is calculated, whether you are residential customer or industrial/commercial customer.
- Start/Stop Service. Are you moving? You can start or stop your service from the convenience of your computer.
- Save Water and Money. Single family homeowners, apartment residents and business owners can benefit from IRWD’s specially designed sections tailored to your individual needs. Information is available on money saving rebates, watering schedules and advice on how to save water and money.
blaska@irwd.com, (949) 453-5500
Circular Clarifier was the First Phase of the Water Recycling Plant Expansion
A few years before ground was broken on the massive expansion of the Irvine Ranch Water District Michelson Water Recycling Plant, the first phase of that expansion was underway.
In 2007, work was begun on the Harvard Area Trunk Sewer Project that would expand the collection system to divert sewage from the Harvard Avenue and Main Street area to the Michelson Plant. Previously, sewage from that area was sent to the Orange County Sanitation District for treatment.
Expanding the trunk line would allow for treatment at Michelson, which would also save IRWD the costs incurred by sending it to OCSD. This would also allow for the production of more recycled water for use in the community. Work took place from late spring 2007 to spring 2008.
Another project was done in tandem with the Harvard Area Trunk Sewer Project to accommodate an increase of approximately five million more gallons of sewage flowing into the plant daily. This was construction of the circular clarifier at the Michelson plant, a 100-foot diameter, 16-foot deep tank. Ground broke on this project in 2006 and it was completed in the summer of 2008. It serves the same purpose as the nearby rectangular clarifiers, using activated sludge, or a high concentration of microbes to clean the sewage for converting into recycled water.
Phase Two of the expansion began in 2009 to increase flow capacity into the plant by an additional 10 million gallons per day. Final touches on that project are underway now. The new features of the plant include a new headworks facility, four new primary treatment tanks, a membrane bio-reactor, high-rate clarifiers, updated disinfection with sodium hypochlorite (bleach), and an ultraviolet disinfection system.
Recycled water produced by the plant is used for irrigating landscaping on golf courses, schools, parks, greenbelts, street medians, and for toilet flushing in commercial buildings, air conditioning cooling towers in high-rises and some industrial uses, such as concrete batch mixing.
Please visit our website for information on our Michelson Water Recycling Plant.
