IRWD Water Quality Report Available Online
The 2015 Irvine Ranch Water District 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.
Congratulations to Fix-a-Leak Winners
In 2015, more than 100 Irvine Ranch Water District residents searched their homes for leaks and sent in photos of themselves fixing the offending faucets or sprinklers.
It was a daunting task to narrow it down to three winners, but we did.
First place went to Tom Williams of Irvine, who won a $500 Home Depot gift card for repairing a sprinkler.
Pam Faust of Irvine also repaired a sprinkler and received a Home Depot gift card for $200.
Edwin Chiu reset his sprinkler timer and won a $100 Home Depot gift card.
We thank everyone who went out of their way to check for and repair leaks they found in their homes. This truly helps during this time of drought.
More information about IRWD water efficiency is found at www.irwd.com/save-water-money.
RightScape Workshops - in Time for May Flowers!
We’ve scheduled more of our popular Rightscape workshops! These informative workshops will help you learn about the right plants, the right equipment and the right schedule to get you on the road to saving water and having a beautiful landscape.
All workshops will be held on Wedneadays in May at the Irvine Ranch Water District headquarters office, 15600 Sand Canyon Avenue, Irvine. And, they are free!
- May 4, 6-8 p.m. – Drought Friendly Plant Selection and Landscape Features: Select the right plants for the right location, edible gardening, and landscape features for water harvesting.
- May 11, 6-8 p.m. - Drip Irrigation Made Easy: Learn how to convert your existing sprinkler system into drip irrigation.
- May 18, 6-8 p.m. - Soil, Water and Plant Relationships: Learn about building up your soil, composting, plant development, and proper watering.
Sign up for one workshop or all three to receive the maximum learning benefit. Sign up at irwd.com/events. Call (949) 453-5581 if you have any questions.
Time to Think About Summer Camp
Summer is just around the corner, so it’s never too early to start planning. Irvine Ranch Water District’s San Joaquin Marsh provides the ideal setting for fun and learning.
Several different day camps are offered for all ages. Sea and Sage Audubon Society will once again host its popular nature camps and Discovery Science Center is back to offer their Summer Smiles and Project Discovery camps. All of these camps fill up quickly.
For more than 20 years, Sea and Sage has offered its programs to youngsters aged 7 through 12. The first offering is Fledgling Camp for seven and eight-year-old campers. Camp is the week of June 22-26, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Beginning birders will sharpen observational skills on daily nature walks and learn to keep a birding journal. They will also have fun playing games, learning nature songs and doing crafts.
Marsh Camp is geared toward the nine-12 year-olds. There are two camp sessions – June 22-26 and July 6-10, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Campers will explore all aspects of marsh bird life. They will also enjoy daily nature walks, see live hawks and owls from a rehabilitator, paint a birdbath, keep a nature journal, do crafts and much more.
Advanced Bird Camp is for campers 11 years and older and requires Marsh Camp experience. Camps takes place July 20-24. Camp will focus on pelagic birding and ocean habitat. There will be field trip to the Dana Point Ocean Institute for a morning of pelagic birding on Friday, July 24. Camp includes a daily nature walk, keeping a daily nature journal, sketching and other art projects. Campers will paint a hand-carved wooden bird.
Visit the Sea and Sage website for more information.
Discovery camps begin with Project Discovery the week of June 29-July 3. Other weeks for Project Discovery are July 6-10, July 20-24, July 27-31 and August 3-7. Duration of camp is 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Campers will enjoy a series of challenge-based activities, such as testing different models of flight, dropping an egg without breaking it and constructing a catapult. They will also investigate the secrets of the solar system and take a close look at Earth, starting with one drop of water. Project Discovery is for seven-10-year-olds.
The five-six-year-old set will enjoy Summer Smiles camp weeks of July 13-17 and August 10-14, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Campers will investigate the world of the plants and animals populating the water, land and sky surrounding the marsh. They will concoct gooey slime, make animal-themed crafts and discover the similarities and difference of the plants, fish, mammals and insects all around us. They will also learn about the marsh’s ponds during nature hikes.
Visit Discovery Science Center’s website for more information.
IRWD Statement on the San Juan Capistrano Court Case
The Fourth District Court of Appeals recently issued a decision in the case “Capistrano Taxpayers Assn v. City of San Juan Capistrano.” The case involved a challenge to a rate structure adopted by the City of San Juan Capistrano.
While this court case has attracted much attention, the court ruling did not invalidate tiered rate structures. The court simply affirmed that to be in compliance with Proposition 218 each price tier must be based on the water district's cost of service. The IRWD budget based conservation rate structure complies with these requirements.
In addition, while the case is fact-specific to San Juan Capistrano, the clarity provided by the court will be helpful to water agencies in ensuring that their rate structures conform with the requirements of Proposition 218. As we continue to review the decision, we will evaluate any potential impacts to IRWD.
The timing of this decision coincides with California experiencing record drought conditions. The Irvine Ranch Water District understands the importance of preserving California’s water supplies, especially in times of drought, and has taken many steps to encourage water use efficiency. The IRWD budget based rate structure promotes water efficiency and is based on the cost of service; is equitable and fair; promotes sustainable behavior change; has shown to be effective in reducing water use; and is supported by Governor Brown in his Executive Order on Water Restrictions issued on April 1, 2015 that calls on water agencies throughout California to implement structures that promote conservation. IRWD’s budget based rate structure has been recognized by the State Water Resources Control Board for producing superior water savings and is an approved alternative approach for compliance with current California Drought Emergency Conservation Regulations.
