Did you know that the fall is the best time for planting? Experts will be on hand to discuss planting at the Fourth Annual Residential Demonstration Landscape Open House and Vendor Fair on Saturday, September 29 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Irvine Ranch Water District and the University of California Cooperative Extension are co-hosting this event at the UC South Coast Research and Extension Center located at 7601 Irvine Blvd., Irvine.

“Native, California friendly plants are also best planted in the fall,” said Nick Mrvos, IRWD Senior Conservation Specialist. “We will be giving demonstrations of various planting techniques and advising which plants best thrive in this area.”

Mrvos will be among several featured speakers throughout the day. He will focus on the fall watering schedule and will be conducting irrigation demonstrations while discussing new products on the market.

This open house will have something for the whole family – kids can participate in planting seeds with the Master Gardeners.

For more information about the open house, please visit UCCE Demonstration Landscape Open House - Orange County Water Quality and Water Resources.

The Irvine Ranch Water District’s water tapping team, “Turbo Tappers,” once again demonstrated their expertise during the Orange County Water Association’s annual water tapping contest last week at Irvine Lake. Water tapping teams go head-to-head with their peers in the industry, representing other water districts and city water departments.

“Our team demonstrates highly trained professionalism that our customers have come to expect,” said David Pedersen, IRWD Executive Director of Operations.

This was the fourth consecutive year IRWD has participated in the contest. The timed competition involves three team members who tap into a pressurized water pipe using specialized tools. Copper pipe is then connected to a faucet. When all connections are made, the faucet is turned on, replicating connection from a water main to a domestic meter. The fourth team member serves as coach, who not only advises, but cheers the team on.

Teams are judged not only on the time it took to tap the pipe, but adherence to contest rules, use of safety equipment and if there are any leaks present.

Please enjoy the photo gallery below and visit www.irwd.com for more water information.

Stop by the South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the annual Residential Demonstration Landscape Open House and Vendor Fair. The facility is located at 7601 Irvine Boulevard. This is the fourth consecutive year that UC Extension and Irvine Ranch Water District cooperated on this event.

“There will be guided garden walks, discussions about gardening and irrigation practices and plant sales,” said Nick Mrvos, IRWD Senior Conservation Specialist. “Fifty percent of all household water use is in the yard, so residents can find out how to cut back on watering and save money.”

There is no charge for admission to this event. Here is a sampling of what customers can expect at the Open House:

• A discussion about edible landscaping
• Home ant control, easy as 1,2,3
• Irrigation product information
• A demonstration on self-watering vegetable garden containers
• Composting – learn how to turn yard waste into black gold
• Children’s activity – planting seeds
• Sample varieties of fruit grown at the South Coast Research and Extension Center
• Free tool sharpening by OC Blacksmiths
• Random opportunities throughout the day

For more information about the Landscape Open House, please visit UCCE Demonstration Landscape Open House.

Saurabh Patil of Boy Scout Troop 616 in Irvine has successfully completed a portable informational kiosk for the Shadetree Partnership nursery at UC Irvine for his Eagle Scout Project. He presented his project at a Shadetree Board of Directors meeting held at Irvine Ranch Water District on October 18.

“When I was looking for a project, I found out about Shadetree,” Saurabh said. “Others from my troop had done projects for Shadetree andI was attracted to the environmental aspect of the organization.”

Shadetree Partnership is a non-profit organization that donates water-efficient trees for planting at parks, schools and other public property.

Saurabh got material donations from home improvement stores and raised money by holding garage sales and recycling. Over a three-day period, Saurabh and his 21 volunteers built the kiosk, which will hold fliers, certificates and a donation box. He donated the money he had left over from his project to Shadetree.

Saurabh, 17, attends Northwood High School and has been scouting since the age of seven. He has gone through all of the Scout ranks with a core group of friends who have been involving in the troop as long as he has. The group of eight will have their court of honor together to receive their Eagle status next summer.

Saurabh hopes to go to college as a pre-medical student and become a pediatrician, following in the footsteps of his grandfather in India.

“I have wanted to do that since I was very young,” he said. “I always admired my grandfather’s work.”

For more information about IRWD environmental programs, please visit our website. Visit Shadetree Partnership’s website for more information.

Contact: Shannon Reed, Public Affairs Manager
reeds@irwd.com, (949) 453-5500