Biosolids Project Update Meeting Scheduled
A community open house to provide an update on the biosolids and energy recovery facility project is scheduled for Wednesday, July 16 at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Irvine Ranch Water District Learning Center at the San Joaquin Marsh.
Project team members will be on hand to provide project updates and answer any questions you might have.
The Biosolids & Energy Recovery Facilities Project integrates a new state-of-the-art organics-handling system at the Michelson Water Recycling Plant (MWRP). This new system includes biosolids processing, biogas management, and energy recovery systems. The system makes efficient and sustainable use of locally generated renewable resources by creating a beneficial use of biosolids and biogases that are produced during the sewage treatment/recycling process.
Pile driving was completed in April. The basements of the three egg-shaped digesters are being constructed. The foundations for the digested sludge holding tanks have been poured. The contractor is installing forms and rebar for the basement walls of the solids handling building, installing electrical vaults, and installing six-inch storm drains and sanitation pipelines. At the centrate treatment facility, the concrete floor is being poured and soon the structure walls will be formed.
The project is expected to save IRWD customers an average of $10 million annually over the next 20 years. It is located at the existing MWRP, at 3512 Michelson Drive, Irvine, CA 92612 and is being constructed within a 4.6‐acre rectangular‐shaped site.
Check our website for periodic updates.
Spend Time in the Great Outdoors at the Shadetree Partnership Nursery
The Shadetree Partnership’s first summertime nursery event is scheduled for Saturday, July 12 beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Volunteers are needed to weed, feed, stake and prune the nursery’s extensive stock of trees, shrubs and groundcover. If you enjoy the outdoors, gardening, enjoying volunteer opportunities and working with others and need community service hours, then the Shadetree Nursery is the place for you.
Help plant seedlings, transfer plants into larger pots, stake, rake and make a difference. A continental breakfast in the morning will be offered to thank the volunteers.
Visit the Shadetree website to register, or contact Leslie Bonkowski at the Irvine Ranch Water District (949) 453-5212. The nursery is located on Anteater Drive, next to UCI’s recreational area. Parking is limited. Wear comfortable clothing and closed-toed shoes. Bring a hat, sunscreen and work gloves if you have them.
If you can’t make the July event, there are other opportunities throughout the year – August 9, September 6 and October 4.
July is Smart Irrigation Month
July has been designated as Smart Irrigation Month because this is the month that traditionally has the highest demand. During July, and especially in this time of California drought, water agencies such as Irvine Ranch Water District, will:
- Educate homeowners, businesses, growers and other users about simple ways to save money and water.
- Encourage industry firms and professionals to promote smart irrigation practices and technologies to customers.
- Reinforce the role efficient irrigation plays in providing real solutions to today’s water challenges.
Did you know that landscape irrigation accounts for 50 percent of the average household water use? Reducing your outdoor water use can help save the environment, water and money.
One might think March would be better suited as Smart Irrigation Month, as spring is when we check our irrigation systems for and get them tuned up for the season. The early-year inspection may even include plans for revamping an inefficient irrigation system from spray to drip. Still, July is also a logical choice as it is:
- one of our hottest months;
- the peak of evapotranspiration for the year;
- the time our plants require the most water; and
- time to recheck the system if you don’t inspect its performance monthly.
Of course the bottom line is that hopefully you are irrigating “smart” all season long.
Smart Irrigation Month was launched in 2005 by the National Irrigation Association to raise awareness of smart irrigation products—and practices—that can increase the efficiency of your irrigation system. After all, efficient does not always equal effective. You can have the most efficiently designed irrigation system and let it run three times longer than your plants require. That would not be effective.
Interest in water savings and efficiency should be at a peak this year because of the extreme heat and drought that most of the nation has been going through since June or even earlier. The Irrigation Association notes that July is traditionally the month of peak water demand in North America. But July will have to be extremely severe drought weather for water demand to be higher than June.
We all know that water is our most valuable resource. Not only could we not survive without it, but nor could our luscious lawns and gardens. However, what you may not know is that many of our lawns could survive with less water during certain times
Homeowners typically overwater lawns and landscapes by up to 30 percent. By selecting and planting carefully, watering wisely, and maintaining and upgrading automated irrigation systems, consumers can save money, save water and see better results. Check out our website for further tips on smart irrigation, plants and rebates on sprinkler nozzles, smart timers, and more.
Contact: Shannon Reed, Public Affairs Manager
reeds@irwd.com, (949) 453-5500
Irvine Ranch Water District Approves New Budget
Each year, the IRWD Board of Directors adopts an annual operating budget that goes into effect on July 1. Part of that process is setting water and sewer rates. One of IRWD’s critical business objectives is to keep costs, and therefore rates, as low as possible for all our customers. IRWD provides the highest level of service to our customers at the lowest possible rates.
The 2014–2015 fiscal year began on July 1, putting in place a new budget approved by the
Board of Directors at its April 28 meeting. This year’s budget, which totals $130.6 million, represents a $13.6 million increase when compared to the prior year’s budget.
The operating budget provides the funding roadmap to provide drinking water, recycled water and sewer service to IRWD customers. Increases in rates and charges for these services took effect on July 1, with an overall increase to the average residential customer of $3.21 per month, for sewer and water service combined. For full information on all new rates and charges, please visit the IRWD website.
Why are Rate Changes Necessary?
The main reasons for the change are due to uncontrollable cost increases from:
- The need to purchase more expensive imported water as a result of drier conditions
- 12% increase in electricity costs for pumping and treating water
- 3.8 % increase in the charges for imported water provided from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) for imported water purchases through our regional wholesaler the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC)
- 6.5% increase in pumping charges from the Orange County Water District (OCWD) for local groundwater.
Residential Rate Structue Changes
Effective July 1, 2014 you may notice changes in your water bill. Your monthly water budget has changed, slightly reducing your indoor water allocation from 55 to 50 gallons per day per person. The outdoor portion of the allocation is unchanged. We have also adjusted the tiered rate structure to reduce the Inefficient, Excessive and Wasteful tiers.
Visit the San Joaquin Marsh in the Summertime
If it’s been a while since you have visited IRWD’s San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary, there is no time like the summer to experience this urban gem.
The Marsh is a reconstructed wetland designed to clean urban runoff from the San Diego Creek before it reaches the environmentally sensitive Upper Newport Bay. Besides enhancing water quality, the Marsh provides a home to some 200 species of birds and other wildlife throughout the year in a park-like setting.
The Marsh contains more than 12 miles of meandering hiking trails on approximately 320 acres and is open 365 days a year, dawn to dusk. Best of all, a visit to the Marsh is free!
Visitors are encouraged to bring binoculars for bird watching. But there are other animals that might be seen, as well. Bobcats should not be confused with the more dangerous mountain lions. There is at least one litter of bobcat kittens born in the Marsh each spring, where there is plenty of food available to keep them happy.
The Sea and Sage Audubon House is a great resource for Marsh visitors. You can sign up to participate in a variety of programs, or if you forgot your binoculars, you can check out a pair.
And don’t miss the Marsh’s butterfly garden behind the historic Duck Club. The butterfly garden was built in 2005 and comes to life during the summer. Butterflies have begun to make their appearances.
All along the Marsh trails, you might notice the little birdhouses perched on metal poles next to the ponds. These were placed into the Marsh in the late 1990s to attract tree swallows. There are more than 100 of them dotted throughout the Marsh and they are monitored by volunteers from Sea and Sage Audubon. During the summers, hikers on the trails might be treated to the site of a mother swallow feeding her chicks as they poke their beaks out of the birdhouse opening.
The Marsh is located off Campus Drive on Riparian View in Irvine. Follow Riparian View to the Marsh driveway on the left. More information about the Marsh and a map to the site is available on our website.
