Four IRWD-Area Students Honored for Water Awareness Creativity
Four Irvine Ranch Water District service area student artists, along with 26 others from around the county were honored June 3 at the Discovery Science Center as winners in the Municipal Water District of Orange County’s 2014 Poster, Slogan, Photography and Digital Arts Contest.
MWDOC received more than 700 pieces of artwork from students in kindergarten through high school reflecting the contest theme, “Thirst.”
All 30 winning students were presented with their framed artwork as well as trophies, certificates, custom T-shirts and tote bags imprinted with their winning artwork.
IRWD had the largest number of winners. Of the four IRWD winners, three won for their posters and one in the slogan category.
Of all of the entries, 15 posters, five slogan and 10 digital photos/digital artwork pieces were selected as winners.
The grand prize winner in grades kindergarten through second grade received a Nintendo DS; one grand prize winner in grades three through fifth, sixth through eighth and ninth through 12th received iPAD Minis. Eight teachers whose students participated in the contests were randomly selected to win $100 gift cards for teaching supplies.
IRWD winners were:
- Clara Ledesma, second grade, La Madera Elementary School, poster. (Clara’s brother, Al, won last year for his slogan.)
- Trenyce Tong, fifth grade, Stonegate Elementary School, poster.
- Leigh Chien, third grade, Turtle Rock Elementary School, poster.
- Siddharth Vasu, fourth grade, Plaza Vista Elementary School, slogan, “Your brain is 80% water; think water smart.”
Please visit our website for information about our education programs.
Your IRWD Water Quality Report is Available Online
Providing clean, safe drinking water to our customers is a core value of Irvine Ranch Water District.
The 2014 Water Quality Report is now available online. The report spells out just how safe your water is and will ensure that your water meets and exceeds all state and federal guidelines.
IRWD prepares this informative report for our customer each June. Providing the report online helps reduce costs and is the environmentally friendly way of doing business.
We are happy to provide you with a hard copy if you would like one. Just send us a message at info@irwd.com with the subject line, “Water Quality Report,” and a report will be on its way in the mail. You may also request a report by calling (949) 453-5500.
The Water Quality Report, also known as a Consumer Confidence Report, is available year-round online for your convenience. Visit www.irwd.com/services/water-quality-report to view online.
Our Water Quality staff continuously monitors the water supply, conducting more than a quarter of a million laboratory tests each year from water sampled at 99 points throughout the District.
The Water Quality Report provides information on the source of your water, testing results, and how water quality compares with regulatory standards. Additionally, the report answers commonly asked questions about water quality.
Four Science Fair Winners Honored by Irvine Ranch Water District
Four Irvine Unified School District students who created water-related science fair projects were honored by the IRWD Board of Directors at their May 27 meeting.
The students were presented with certificates and each of their schools will receive $100 on their behalf for the science programs, with an additional $100 going to support the district science fair.
IRWD has participated in the science fair since its inception more than 20 years ago. In the fall, IRWD professionals participate in Ask-a-Scientist Night, which offers the students the opportunity to get their questions answered about their prospective projects.
This year’s science fair was held for the second year at Woodbridge High School. IRWD water quality experts Mindy Bergen and Michele Drzymowski judged more than 40 water-related projects based on the use of the scientific method, creativity, relevance, completeness of the project and evidence of problem solving.
This year’s winners:
- Mary King – “Colored Water: Pet’s Preference,” 6th grade, Canyon View Elementary School. Mary asked the question whether or not different colors placed in water would determine how much a pet would drink. She had heard that dogs and cats are color-blind, but wanted to do something to encourage her pets to hydrate more. Her research showed that some house pets could see variations of blue and yellow. She put out red, green, blue and clear water and watched the pets’ reactions. She hypothesized that the animals would gravitate to the blue water, based on her research. The pets’ second choice, she thought, would be clear water, followed by green, with red being the least preferred. She conducted her experiment over 10 days. Her conclusion was partially correct, in that the blue water was consumed quicker by the pets, but differed from her hypothesis because the red water was the pets’ second choice, followed by green, then clear.
- Alec Isaacman – “Osmotic Power,” 6th grade, Stone Creek Elementary School. Alec set out to determine what impact the salinity level of water has on the production of osmotic generated power. He constructed two chambers separated by an osmotic membrane and filled them with equal amounts of water – one fresh and one salt water. The experiment sought to determine the absorption rate of the salt water as it pulled the fresh water through the membrane. He believed the higher the salinity level, the faster would be the rate of absorption, thus, having the potential to produce energy more efficiently. His conclusion was correct because water with the higher salinity level caused a quicker absorption rate. Alec’s project went to the county competition, where it received a second place in its division and then onto state competition.
- Sandeep Kambhampati – “A Novel DNA Electrochemical Biosensor for the Detection of Heavy Metals in Aquatic Ecosystems,” 9th grade, University High School. Many heavy metals are suspected of having carcinogenic effects, but a clear connection is yet to be found. The goal of Sandeep’s experiment was to establish a connection by linking heavy metals such as lead, to structural deformation of DNA and oxidative stress. Cyclic voltammetry was used to investigate the oxidation peaks of the purine bases of DNA. The project then used the connection between heavy metals and DNA damage in a DNA electrochemical biosensor and sought to optimize the synthesis of biosensor. In conclusion, the experiment developed a clear correlation between lead nitrate and guanine oxidation, confirming that lead nitrate is most likely mutagenic. Sandeep’s project went to the county competition, where it won a second place in its division, then to the state competition, where the project brought home a third place award.
- Morgan Bibee – “Effectiveness of a coil-based water heating system through its ability to transfer thermal energy versus a traditional water heating system,” 10th grade, Woodbridge High School. Morgan’s experiment was to determine a new water heating system which would be more effective and energy-efficient than the traditional method. It was hypothesized that this new method would make use of thermal energy which would normally go to waste. It used copper coils to absorb thermal energy and recycle it into water passing through them. In conclusion, the traditional system did not change the temperature from the water source. Overall, the experiment proved that a coil-based water heating system is more effective than the traditional system.
More information about IRWD’s education programs is available on our website.
In the Midst of Drought, Be Water Aware in May
The drought serves to remind us that water is something we cannot live without, yet it’s easy to take for granted. You expect water to flow when you turn on the tap. Do we ever wonder how we would react if no water came out?
Irvine Ranch Water District reminds our customers that they can trust us to provide clean, safe water for everything you need it for. Since May is Water Awareness Month, this is a perfect time to advise you about what you need to know about your water supply.
Your drinking water meets or exceeds all quality standards set by both the state and federal government. Our water quality staff continuously monitors the water supply, conducting more than a quarter of a million laboratory tests each year in our state-certified, state-of-the-art water quality lab. The annual Water Quality Report is available on our website.
You can depend on your water supply. IRWD has worked hard to decrease our dependence on costly imported drinking water with a balanced, diverse water portfolio. IRWD's drinking water comes from two primary sources: local groundwater and imported water.
About one-third of IRWD's drinking water is purchased from Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. This imported water comes from the Colorado River via the Colorado River Aqueduct and from Northern California via the State Water Project.
Another two-thirds of our drinking water supply comes from local groundwater wells in the Orange County Groundwater Basin, the Irvine sub-basin and in Lake Forest. In addition, IRWD has a robust recycled water program. Every drop of recycled water used for irrigation or other non-potable purposes saves drinking water. The District's diversified supply ensures a reliable water supply during times of drought, regulatory constraints and other emergencies. This diverse water supply portfolio helps to keep rates as low as possible.
If you receive a high water bill, we can help you figure out why. Each customer has a water allocation based on the type of home, the number of occupants and the total area of surrounding landscape. Staying within your allocation will help keep your rates low.
If you receive a high water bill, contact us so that we can help you figure out why you went over your allocation and what changes can be made to help you stay within your allocation. Use our website as an online resource for all things water efficient - tips, tools, rebates, garden/plant information, irrigation schedules, videos, events, webinars, workshops and more.
In addition, please check out our drought portal to take the 20 percent pledge, or to find connections to state and federal resources.
Drought? You Can Help!
Did you know that 60 percent of a home’s total water is used outdoors? Become a drought buster – join your fellow Californians in reducing your water use. Look outdoors to save the most water.
Check your sprinklers. Watering your landscape efficiently is the biggest way to reduce your water usage. It is important to check your sprinklers for leaks and overspray – your sidewalks don’t need to be watered.
Have you considered switching to rotating sprinkler nozzles? Rotating nozzles use 20 percent less water than standard sprinkler heads. IRWD currently offers a rebate for $4 per nozzle. Check out the IRWD Calscape page for more information.
Use our Watering Schedule. Take the schedule from the IRWD billing insert, Pipelines, and place it near your timer, or give it to your gardener.
Using this IRWD suggested watering schedule will help properly irrigate your yard using the least amount of water necessary.
Start with this schedule and increase the times only if your plants start dying. If this occurs only in isolated areas, check the operation of your irrigation system before increasing the time.
Install a Smart Timer. Be the most efficient person in your neighborhood: install a smart timer, or weather-based irrigation controller (WBIC).
Most homes use a sprinkler timer, which leaves lots of room for human error because it needs to be programmed manually. Using a smart timer maximizes efficiency and saves water.
A smart timer is a weather-based irrigation controller that determines how much to water your landscape based on actual site specific weather conditions, such as temperature and humidity. Use the coupon from your May Pipelines to receive a $500 rebate for a timer - $380 per clock, plus an additional $120 for installation.
Check out our website for information on smart timer rebates.
