Tips for a clog-free holiday
Are you looking forward to feasts of rich foods this holiday season?
Protect your pipes and keep your celebrations clog-free by disposing of fats, oils and grease in the trash— not down the drain.
Collectively referred to as “FOG,” fats, oils and grease cause pipe clogs and sewage spills.
Here’s how you can prevent a stopped-up sink from spoiling your festivities.
- • Never pour grease down your sink drain or toilet.
- • Place leftover fats, oils, grease, gravies, creams and heavy sauces into containers with lids, such as jars, and put them into a trash receptacle for pickup on trash day.
- • Wipe greasy pans with paper towels before washing. Place the towels into the trash.
- • Do not put potato peelings, coffee grounds, eggshells and other food scraps down the garbage disposal. Put them in the appropriate waste bin.
- • If using a deep fat fryer, let the oil cool and mix it with an absorbent material such as cat litter or newspaper, and put it into the trash.
Visit IRWD.com/fog for more information.
Another award, thanks to you!
Customer participation in IRWD programs and events has resulted in IRWD winning its second WaterSense Sustained Excellence Award, an honor bestowed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to partners who promote water-efficient products, practices and services.
Irvine Ranch Water District was one of just 19 award winners in the nation to win the award this year. This was the District’s sixth overall WaterSense Award.
Key promotions, events and programs that led to IRWD’s honor include the District’s:
- Fix a Leak Sweepstakes
- Fix Your Sprinklers workshop
- Mulch Madness program
- Shed Show Road Show events
- WaterStar Business Recognition Program
IRWD customers are among the most water-efficient in California, and we thank you for using water wisely!
For more information on the U.S. EPA’s WaterSense program, go to epa.gov/watersense.
(Photo: IRWD Senior Water Efficiency Specialist Juan Garcia, center, receives the award on behalf of the District.)
Smiles all around at second annual open house event
More than 700 people participated in this year’s H2O Show & Tell open house at Sand Canyon headquarters on Saturday, Oct. 19.
A celebration of Water Professionals Appreciation Week, the family-friendly event featured heavy construction equipment, trucks, and informational booths and activities hosted by 17 IRWD departments. Each booth demonstrated the many roles employees play to deliver safe and reliable services to the community.
Customers had the opportunity to interact with staff and learn more about everything from Water Operations to Water Banking, Information Technology, and Natural Treatment Systems.
Special thanks to those who joined us at our annual event!
Sign up for WaterInsight!
Curious about how much water you’re using in your yard?
IRWD’s free WaterInsight portal provides helpful information about your water-use trends, identifying where and when you use it. It will also send alerts if a leak is detected.
Sign up today at IRWD.com/waterinsight.
This content originally appeared in The Dirt, IRWD's quarterly gardening newsletter. See the full issue at IRWD.com/thedirt.
Key advice to getting started on your new landscape
Meet Jonathan Stalvey, Design Principal for TerraWorks Studio
Good things happen when old college friends reunite to follow their dreams. The partners at TerraWorks Studio joined forces years after leaving Cal Poly Pomona to combine their skills in landscape design, irrigation and maintenance, and are creating thoughtful and sustainable landscapes throughout Southern California.
Dream designs Q&A
What’s the best way to get started on a landscape transformation?
Jonathan Stalvey: Just start, make that first mark and start generating ideas. Write down what you’re thinking, and if you ever get brain fog or designer’s block, you can always go back to those first marks to stay on track. Some of the best ideas have started with napkins at a restaurant or bar.
What key design elements do you recommend to homeowners?
Stalvey: Keep it simple. Avoid the urge to complicate your design, and focus on elements that make sense for what they do. Don’t put a bioswale at the top of a slope where it won’t collect water. Design your planted areas based on available sunlight, and give your plantings the room they need to grow to maturity.
Any other words of advice?
Stalvey: Maintaining your landscape is important for the success of your new landscape. Make sure you have a good maintenance manual that includes details like when to mulch, or the types of fertilizers to use on which plants, and when. You can do the research yourself, or have a landscape designer like TerraWorks prepare it for you.
This content originally appeared in The Dirt, IRWD's quarterly gardening newsletter. See the full issue at IRWD.com/thedirt.
