What could be better than finding a pearl inside an oyster shell?

Keeping the shell, and using it to create new habitat for the native Olympia oyster, now functionally extinct.

That’s what IRWD has been doing in partnership with Orange County Coastkeeper.

The nonprofit organization, whose mission is to protect local waterways and marine ecosystems, has placed some 40,000 pounds of oyster shells in Upper Newport Bay, at Castaways Beach and along the De Anza Peninsula. The craggy surface of the shell serves as the ideal point of attachment for young native oyster larvae looking for a place to fasten themselves and grow.

Irvine Ranch Water District provides space in its corporate yard at the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary for the shells to dry. It can take up to a year for the shells to cure so they are clean enough to allow the native species to settle there. The program started in 2017, and to date, over 20,000 native adult oysters are living in the bay, said Katie Nichols, Coastkeeper’s marine restoration director.

“That’s three to 10 times what you’d find naturally occurring,” she said, standing beside rows of coconut coir netting used to hold the shells in place until the oysters can take over and the netting eventually degrades.

Nichols calls it a “living shoreline” project, using natural materials to stabilize the shore so that eventually a full ecosystem — complete with eelgrass and a diversity of fish, mollusks and crustaceans — establishes itself there and thrives.

“Restoration of oysters and eelgrass is critical to the health and resiliency of the Newport Bay ecosystem because both species provide many ecosystem services for our coastal wetlands,” Nichols said.

As filter feeders, oysters also help to improve water clarity, she added.

Coastkeeper is using the shells of Pacific oysters from local restaurants, but the goal is to bring back the native Olympia oysters, which were once an abundant food source for native Californians and an important habitat and refuge for other organisms.

Pollution, over-harvesting and habitat loss have led to the oysters’ decline in the past 100 years. Today, more than 85% of the world’s oyster reefs have been lost.

IRWD Wetlands Scientist Mo Wise, a marine biologist by trade, is encouraged by the progress being made on the project.

“It’s great to see the water we are cleaning through our Natural Treatment System at the San Joaquin Marsh become a part of this renovation,” she said. “But even more rewarding is to see the increase in population counts.

“This is important work being done,” she said, “and IRWD is happy to be a part of it.”

Top photo: IRWD Wetlands Scientist Mo Wise and Coastkeeper Marine Restoration Director Katie Nichols inspect the living shoreline project at Upper Newport Bay; middle photo: a closeup of the shells used in the project; bottom photo: the shoreline after three years, now home to 20,000 adult oysters.

California is facing an extended fire season. And like last year, temporary power outages likely will occur to prevent electrical lines from sparking new blazes in dry and windy weather.

Irvine Ranch Water District is prepared to operate during these Public Safety Power Shutoffs, as well as other urgent situations. If a power shutoff is called in your neighborhood, you should see no disruption in your water or sewer service.

We plan for emergencies in everything we do, making sure backup options are available. Here are some of the steps we take to be prepared:

• Backup power – Permanent generators are set up at IRWD’s critical facilities, and portable generators can be moved quickly to where they are needed.

• Monitoring – We watch local weather to anticipate problems.

• Plan of action – We top off water storage tanks, mobilize equipment and supplies to where they may be needed, and work with other agencies to plan a coordinated response.

• Facilities – Several IRWD facilities have alternative sources of power such as solar to help supplement power needs. Our recycled water reservoirs serve as reliable sources of water to fight wildfires.

Visit IRWD.com/psps for more information and safety tips.

Fire Safety Tips for Your Home

• Create a safety zone around your home by removing dead or dying vegetation.

• Plant fire-resistant plants as a firebreak (monkeyflower, California lilac, autumn sage, common yarrow, French lavender).

• Prepare an emergency escape plan with your family that includes how to respond to an evacuation order.

• Visit ready.gov/wildfires for more information.

Water and energy are fundamentally linked: Energy is needed to pump, treat and distribute water, and water is used to generate many forms of energy.

In an age when both resources are increasingly scarce, Irvine Ranch Water District is finding ways to supplement the energy needed for its operations.

As a part of that vision, the District has installed 2,360 solar power modules on top of two underground water storage reservoirs at the Baker Water Treatment Plant in Lake Forest.

These panels generate about 1.1 MW of power – enough to serve about 10% of the plant’s energy needs.

The Baker solar project is an important part of IRWD’s Energy and Greenhouse Master Plan and it supports the District's goals to reduce energy use and incorporate sustainability in our approach to operations.

IRWD has several projects completed or nearing completion to help meet this need through renewable energy and energy storage.

Baker Solar Project:

• 2,360 solar modules generating 1 MW of power.
• Installed with a net-zero loading condition to retain structural capacity of the reservoirs.
• Installed at no cost to the District under a Power Purchase Agreement in which IRWD buys back the power at a fixed rate.

Separate from the solar project, The Baker Water Treatment Plant site includes a 1.22 MW battery storage system – part of the District’s broader Energy Storage System, which stores energy for use during peak hours to reduce the cost of purchased electricity.

Energy Storage Project:

• A 7MW/34MWh network of high-efficiency lithium batteries that store energy and provide on-site power to our operations at six locations districtwide.
• When launched in 2018, it was the largest installation of its kind in the nation.
• A battery can absorb whatever power is available, so it can integrate well with renewable sources of energy.
• Energy is stored in the batteries when rates are low and is used during peak demand when electricity costs are high, saving money.
• The stored energy is also made available to Southern California Edison as a Demand Response resource to help provide energy resilience to the grid during periods of high usage.
• Battery arrays like ours offer a tantalizing long-term application, reducing the number of power plants needed to meet peak electricity demand.

Renewable Energy:

Renewable energy is an important part of our Energy and Greenhouse Master Plan.

The District uses solar power to supplement its energy needs. This includes the 1.1 MW array at the Baker Water Treatment Plant, along with:

• A 100 kW solar power array at the District’s Sand Canyon Avenue headquarters, which provides 20% of the building’s energy needs.
• A 250kW system at the District’s Zone 3 reservoir.

These installations, and future renewable projects to come, will be used to support a more sustainable energy program made possible by the energy storage project.

Biosolids & Energy Recovery Facility:

• This project makes efficient and sustainable use of biosolids resulting from the treatment of sewage.
• Organic solids left over from the process are converted into pellets suitable for use as fertilizer or fuel.
• Biogas produced from the digestion process will be harnessed, cleaned and used as fuel for turbines that generate energy to support operations at the plant.
• Heat from the turbines and sludge dryer will help heat the sludge in the digesters for greater efficiency.
• Makes good use of all byproducts from the recycled water process.

Read more about IRWD’s sustainability programs and its Energy and Greenhouse Gas Master Plan.

An aerial view of some of the panels during construction.

Urban runoff from lawns and hard surfaces is a major source of water pollution. 

Irvine Ranch Water District uses a Natural Treatment System to remove harmful elements in the water near their source, naturally.

In a recent video podcast with Orange County Coastkeeper, IRWD Wetland Scientist Mo Wise explains how.

Click here to learn more.