IRWD Participates in Irvine Unified School District’s Annual Science Career Options Conference

As part of the Irvine Unified School District’s Annual Science Career Options Conference, Irvine Ranch Water District Water Quality Laboratory Supervisor Melinda Bergen and engineer Jacob Moeder gave presentations to seventh grade students from five of IUSD’s middle schools. Professionals from the IRWD have participated in the IUSD Career Conference for all 20 years of its existence.

“This is really how I dress for work,” Bergen explained to the group as she donned her white lab coat and safety glasses.

Using a student volunteer, she demonstrated the presence of chlorine in a sample of ordinary tap water. Then all of the students were able to test the PH of a water sample using strips of specialized PH paper. Students then compared the strip to a color scale to determine the PH level of the sample.

Moeder, a civil engineer, discussed the various engineering disciplines and explained the projects he is working on for the District, including the biosolids portion of the Michelson Water Recycling Plant expansion, which will turn sludge into pellets that can be used for fertilizer or heating. He passed around a sample bag of pellets, which resemble nuggets of coal.

Moeder gave two demonstrations – one on settlement and the other on liquefaction. Using two seemingly similar plates of sand, he placed equal amounts of weight on each one. One of the towers of weights slipped sideways, while the other stayed upright. The secret to this? A single sheet of toilet paper placed under the sand acted as a stabilizer and the weights did not slip. He then demonstrated how liquefaction can occur during an earthquake on unstable soil. Using a tube of sand and water, he placed a small house on top, along with a ruler simulating a pile. A student volunteer pushed a button to activate shaking within the tube. Water rose to the top and the house and ruler sunk.

Both Bergen and Moeder fielded student questions and discussed the education it took for them to achieve their career goals.

The goal of the IUSD conference is to increase student interest and awareness of science-related careers. In addition to IRWD, professionals from the careers of physics, medicine, medical research, food science, veterinary medicine, wildlife protection, ecology, dentistry, robotics, nursing and engineering participate.

IRWD has provided innovative student water education programs since the mid-1970s. These programs are available to students and teachers from kindergarten through college in any public, private or home school within our service area. For more information about IRWD education programs, please visit our website.

NTS helps clean polluted water before running into the ocean

Many Orange County residents are unaware that man-made wetlands exist across the Irvine Ranch Water District’s service area to treat urban runoff, a major source of water pollution created by water that flows into storm drains when there are no storms.

These lakes and ponds use natural ecosystems, such as plants, to remove harmful contaminants and bacteria and prevent these pollutants from reaching the upper Newport Bay and flowing into the ocean.

“Many of the pollutants and nutrients that are found in urban runoff create problems within the watershed,” said Ian Swift, IRWD’s Wetlands Biologist. “These natural treatment system facilities help to improve water quality within the watershed by removing these contaminants.  IRWD continues to be a leader in the region in the natural treatment of urban runoff.”

IRWD recently debuted a video titled “A look into the Natural Treatment System” which details the NTS. A follow-up video, “How does the Natural Treatment System Work?” was recently released. For more information on the Natural Treatment System, please visit www.irwd.com.

The intense rainstorms of December 2010 flooded Williams Canyon a few days before Christmas, washing out a road and water service to many of the residents. What a difference a year makes. A recent visit to the area paints a different picture – water pipes were replaced, a new road was built and the sides of the creek were reinforced.

“I was super impressed how everyone came together and got it all back together so quickly,” said Dave Pedersen, IRWD Senior Director of Water Operations and Quality. “Restoring water service after an emergency situation is a top priority for IRWD.”

The flooding washed out a large segment of Williams Canyon Road, along with 700 feet of an eight-inch water main near the creek crossing. Additionally, a portion of 12-inch pipe near the Williams Canyon Pump Station was damaged. IRWD crews and Paulus Engineering began making repairs on December 23 once the flood waters began to recede. Repairs consisted of constructing two bypass water mains and restoring numerous broken water services.

Repairs continued over the next several days, placing many reservoirs back in service.  Water service to customers was restored by December 29. Customers were kept informed with consistent updates on the IRWD website, and through Twitter feeds and Facebook postings.

For more information about IRWD emergency planning and CodeRED, please visit the IRWD website.

Safety is a top priority at Irvine Ranch Water District, so if someone knocks on your door claiming to be an IRWD employee, don’t be afraid to ask for identification. It is important to know if you are opening your door to a District staff member.

“Contact IRWD at (949) 453-5300 if you have any doubts and verify that the employee is who he or she claims to be,” said IRWD Customer Service Manager Gina Jackson.  “All IRWD employees carry photo identification badges.”

Additionally most IRWD field crews wear an IRWD uniform or T-shirt with the logo above the left-hand pocket.  IRWD Water Efficiency team members usually wear polo shirts with an IRWD logo embroidered on the left side. IRWD staff can also provide IRWD business cards.

When in doubt, ask the person to return to your home after you have had an opportunity to follow up on their identity. IRWD Customer Service field crews and members of the Water Efficiency team often go to homes to either collect late payments or conduct water efficiency surveys as requested by the customer. IRWD employees will never ask you to hand over any valuables. Contact your local law enforcement agency to file a report if you suspect someone is posing as an IRWD staff member.

For more information, please visit www.irwd.com.