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.
Curious About the Drought? We Have Answers!
You can’t turn on the television news, or pick up a newspaper and not see headlines about the California drought. How does this affect me and what can I do about it, you might ask.
Well, we can help you find the answers. Irvine Ranch Water District has a panel of experts who can talk about the drought, but a host of other issues as well.
There is no charge for speaker appearances. Booking a speaker for your organization is as easy as contacting IRWD at (949) 453-5500 and discussing the date, time, location and topic. We are happy to present to your community group, service club, homeowner’s association, school group, non-profit group, or professional association.
The IRWD Speaker’s Bureau can book a speaker for your organization to discuss a range of topics, including:
- Money-saving water conservation ideas
- Water efficiency gardens and plant selection
- Water quality issues
- Environmental stewardship
- Recycled water use
- State water issues and the Bay/Delta
- Bottled Water Versus Tap Water and more
Please visit our website for more information about the IRWD Speaker’s Bureau.
2014 IRWD Resident Tours Highlight Expanded Water Recycling Plant
The water awareness resident tours are designed to not only inform our customers about where their water comes from, where it goes after going down the drain and how to conserve this precious resource, participants are also treated to up close and personal views of IRWD infrastructure.
Our recently completed spring tours featured our newly expanded Michelson Water Recycling Plant and an old favorite for our visitors – the San Joaquin Recycled Water Reservoir.
Tours of MWRP were suspended in fall 2009, when the massive expansion project began. The plant now includes a membrane bioreactor with two aeration basins and eight process trains, which produces high-quality water ready for disinfection and reuse. In addition, the new ultra-violet disinfection system treats water cleaned in the MBR by flowing the water past ultra-violet light tubes. The expansion allows IRWD to treat up to 28 million gallons of sewage per day.
IRWD has conducted tours for our residents and those who work in our service area for more than 20 years.
A sample of comments received from the most recent attendees:
- The tour helped to supplement and reinforce information given by the speakers
- This was an excellent tour. It’s accessible and the tour staff was helpful. I would recommend it to others!
- I enjoyed the Water Quality Lab demonstration
- I will tell my friends and neighbors about this tour
- The San Joaquin Marsh is beautiful! I never knew it was there. I will come back and visit with my family.
More information on our tour program is available on our website.
