Do you think taking shorter showers is the best way to reduce water use? How about fixing a pesky water leak?

In reality, the best way to save the most money on your water bill is to reduce outdoor water use.

Outdoor watering can account for up to 65 percent of your total home water use. That’s more than the water used for showering, dishwashing, laundry, and toilet flushing combined. Being smart about your outdoor water use is especially important during the warm summer months. IRWD offers you three key tips to reduce your outdoor water use and save the most money on your water bill:

Choose the right plants. Did you know that a California appropriate landscape uses up to 40 percent less water than a traditional grass-heavy residential landscape? There are beautiful and vibrant plants that can be used to create a colorful and water-efficient garden. IRWD’s garden website, www.irwdCALscape.org, offers plenty of options and ideas for customers who are looking for ways to develop an attractive, healthy and water efficient landscape. It’s a one-stop shop with garden tours, garden galleries, a searchable plant database and a garden resources section.

Use the right tools. Watering your landscape with efficient equipment, such as rotating nozzles and smart timers, helps you maintain your lawn properly. Checking periodically for leaks in your sprinkler system or for broken sprinkler heads will also help you save water and money. Rebates are available on our website for water-efficient devices, such as rotating spray nozzles (receive up to $4 per nozzle) and weather-based irrigation controllers (receive up to $385).

Reduce watering. With IRWD’s Irrigation Schedule(available on our website), you can program your sprinkler timer to adequately water your lawn and garden with the least amount of water needed. For example, throughout July and August, grass only needs to be watered four days a week for three cycles (spaced an hour apart) of three minutes each—a total of 36 minutes a week. Watering in the early morning helps reduce water lost to evaporation and wind, and watering in cycles allows maximum absorption into the soil where water is needed—at the roots. For more information and resources on saving money on your water bill and reducing your overall water usage, visit www.alwayswatersmart.com.

The 2008 Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) Student Art Exhibit is making its way to the IRWD headquarters at 15600 Sand Canyon Avenue in Irvine and the exhibit will feature the winning artwork of Kris Kong, an Irvine Plaza Vista Elementary School third grader.

Kris’s artwork and several of the 38 pieces of winning artwork will be displayed in IRWD’s lobby and will be available for public viewing Jan. 23-25 and Jan. 28-31 during regular business hours: 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday.

Artwork by students from all over the region was entered into the 2007 “Water is Life” poster contest sponsored by MWD. Kris was one of IRWD’s five semi-finalists, whose artwork was chosen for publication in the 2008 MWD calendar, which features 38 posters. The students, their parents and teachers were invited to a ceremony at MWD’s Los Angeles office in December 2007. The winning artwork was framed and on display. 

The traveling art show began at the Diamond Valley Lake Visitor’s Center in Riverside County and will conclude in June in Ventura. Kris will be honored at a future IRWD board meeting and be presented with his winning artwork at the conclusion of the region-wide art exhibits.

IRWD and AccuTemp Products have announced a new initiative that will allow food service operators to trade in old, inefficient steamers and rinse sprayers for newer water-saving units. The program is limited to the first 50 qualifying food service establishments.

Under the program, a flat fee of $750 per unit is charged, plus the cost of installation and old equipment removal. The food service operator receives a connectionless steamer for the kitchen, plus a 1.2-gallon-per-minute pre-rinse spray. Connectionless steamers do not require water or drain connections. They will operate for hours on less than three gallons of water and deliver the cooking speed and production capacity of conventional compartment steamers, saving hundreds of gallons of water each production day. Conventional boiler-type steamers have been found to use an average of 407 gallons of water per day, compared to less than 14 gallons per day for connectionless models.

IRWD received an enhanced conservation grant from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), which makes this new program possible.

The retail price for this new equipment ranges from $6,000-$8,000, not including installation. Food service providers can realize a water savings of approximately 80,000 gallons per year and energy savings of around 75 kilowatt hours per day.

To qualify for the Restaurant Retrofit Package Program:

• A food service establishment must be located in the IRWD service area (Irvine, portions of Lake Forest, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Tustin, Orange and unincorporated portions of Orange County)
• Have one or more operating boiler-based or steam generator model compartment steamers that are connected to a water and drain line
• Have a pre-rinse spray used for vegetable preparation or pre-cleaning of dishes before they are placed in the dishwasher

While saving water is the focus of the IRWD Restaurant Retrofit Package Program, participating operators will see lower water and sewer bills and energy cost savings, while reducing waste water.