Rain Doesn’t Stop Shadetree Volunteers
Threats of rain, and later, a storm, didn’t dampen the spirit of 95 volunteers who turned out to plant, prune and weed the stock at the Shadetree Partnership nursery on December 7.
“We had a great day with intermittent sprinkles and then at 10:30, a nice rain,” said Shadetree coordinator Leslie Bonkowski.
Ninety-Five hardy volunteers rolled up their sleeves to do whatever work was assigned to them. The groups were from University High School, three chapters of the National Charity League, Woodbridge High School’s Eco-Warriors, San Clemente Tree Foundation, Irvine Youth Action Team, the Pacific Academy, Omega Chi Epsilon and various Scout troops.
In addition, an Adopt-a-Row plaque was unveiled. The volunteers replanted 661 trees, shrubs and groundcover into larger containers in the greenhouses. They also added identification tags to the stock and raked leaves from the rows of trees.
Shadetree Partnership holds monthly events at its nursery, located on the UC Irvine campus. The next event is scheduled for January 11. Anyone needing volunteer or service hours is always welcome. Each volunteer receives a Certificate of Participation.
More information is available at the IRWD website.
Get Cash Back on Holiday Gifts
The Black Friday sales have come and gone, but many of us continue to ponder holiday gift giving. If you plan to give or receive a new clothes washer as a gift this holiday season – get a little cash back as well.
High efficiency clothes washers use 55 percent less water than standard washers, saving about 75,000 gallons of water over its lifetime. Using less water also means lower energy used on water heating. Save water, save energy and enjoy the money savings on your utility bills year-round with this IRWD rebate.
Irvine Ranch Water District offers rebates to customers who replace their old clothes washers with the newer water-saving models – up to $285! Before purchasing the washer, check out the list of pre-approved models at www.irwd.com/save-water-money/rebates.
IRWD also offers rebates on weather-based irrigations controllers, rotating spray nozzles, high efficiency toilets, rain barrels and soil moisture sensors.
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.
