Stick Those Stickers in the Trash
We’ve all had to deal with them – those little stickers on an apple or tomato that are stubborn to remove. Often, they wind up down the drain, eventually ending up at the wastewater treatment plant. At Irvine Ranch Water District, we advise our customers to be careful of what they put down the drain, or flush down the toilet.
Plastics don’t break down in the biological processes used at the Michelson Water Recycling Plant and the Los Alisos Water Recycling Plant. Fruit and vegetable sticks are plastic and can clog private sewer laterals. As they travel through the sewer system, they do no deteriorate and clog equipment at the Michelson facility.
When you rinse your produce, put these stickers directly into the trash, not the garbage disposal. Together, we can all help keep our systems flowing smoothly.
More information about IRWD sewer service is available on our website.
Help IRWD Spread Holiday Joy
Customers dropping by the Irvine Ranch Water District office to conduct business may also donate to the Orangewood Children’s Foundation and help brighten the holidays for others.
And until Friday, non-perishable food donations for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County are being accepted. This is the sixth consecutive year IRWD has supported these charities, which assist families and children year-round.
Anyone interested in helping out Orangewood need only visit the Christmas tree in the lobby of the IRWD Sand Canyon office. There are paper ornaments each with the name and/or gender, age and three wish items from children currently at the Orangewood Children and Family Center.
Donating is as easy as taking an ornament, shopping for any of the items listed and returning it to IRWD with the ornament attached by December 16. The items will be delivered to Orangewood in time before the Christmas holiday.
The IRWD office is located at 15600 Sand Canyon Avenue in Irvine. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Click here for information about the Orangewood Children’s Foundation.
Yes, There Are Still Septic Systems in the Irvine Ranch Water District Service Area
A small portion of the IRWD service area located in the canyons of Modjeska, Silverado, Williams and in Orange Park Acres rely on septic tanks to treat their sewage. While they are IRWD customers they are not tied into IRWD’s collections, or sewer system.
The rule is any home not within 200 to 300 feet of a sewer line more than likely has a septic system. IRWD does not service septic systems; however, there are resources available for our customers who use septic.
The Environmental Protection Agency launched SepticSmart, a national program to promote proper septic system care and maintenance by homeowners.
“If a system is properly sized and maintained, homeowners can go several years without having them pumped out,” said Greg Springman, IRWD’s Collection Systems Manager.
When it does become time for a septic tank to be pumped out, Springman cautions homeowners to make sure the pumper is properly licensed.
Septic systems have been used in this country since the late 1880s. A standard septic tank is 1,000 to 2,000 gallons. The tank will typically have two inspection openings with one inlet opening coming from the house and one outlet opening going to the distribution box. The distribution box is the junction between the septic tank and the leach field, which equally distributes the digested effluent material to the leach field.
When properly maintained and used, these systems serve to effectively treat and dispose of sewage. But much like sewers, septic system back-ups and overflows can lead to costly homeowner repairs and can pollute local waterways, creating a public health risk.
“A leaky toilet or faucet can hydraulically overload the tank and leach field, saturating the ground,” Springman said.
For more information on septic systems maintenance, please visit the EPA’s website.
IRWD Can Help With Fall Planting
While pondering your fall planting, look no further than Irvine Ranch Water District’s CALscapes.
CALscapes is landscape that requires less labor, time, resources and water. This landscape is appropriate for California’s climate and reflects the Southern California lifestyle.
A CALscape landscape is low in fuss and high in color and frees up time for homeowners to actually enjoy their yards. To view some examples of plant groupings, or themes, please visit www.irwdcalscape.org. There are hundreds of varieties to choose from.
Annual Food Drive: Irvine Ranch Water District Helps Feed Hungry
In this festive season of giving, it’s hard to believe more than 400,000 people in Orange County don’t know where their next meal is coming from. For the sixth consecutive year, IRWD is holding a food drive to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County from November 18-December 6.
Collection boxes are set up in the IRWD Human Resources office, to the right of the reception desk. Customers who might be visiting IRWD to pay their bills or conduct any other business, are invited to help us help others.
Please bring in any non-perishable or non-refrigerated item from now until December 6. If you are stumped on what would be acceptable, we have implemented a theme this year.
For example, during the first week, it’s Macaroni Monday; Tuna Tuesday; Wellness Wednesday (low sodium, low fat); Toiletries Thursday and Fruity Friday.
Week two, which is the shortened Thanksgiving week, we are going international: Monday is Italian day, Tuesday is Asian Day and Wednesday is Mexican day.
Week three: Meaty Monday; Tasty Treat Tuesday; Whole Grain Wednesday; Tin-canned Soup Thursday and Free-for-All Friday.
We are accepting these donations at our headquarters office, 15600 Sand Canyon Avenue, Irvine. Business hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Together, we can help those less fortunate. Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County began its work in 1983 and currently serves more than 470 member charities that reach the hungry, including church pantries, shelters, senior centers, rehabilitation centers and homes for abused women and children.
More information about IRWD is located on our website.
