Celebrating dam safety at IRWD
National Dam Safety Awareness Day is May 31, a day intended to encourage and promote best practices for dam safety, as well as emergency plans. This year’s theme is, “Dam safety is a shared responsibility: Know your risk; know your role; know the benefits of dams and take action.”
IRWD monitors five dams: Sand Canyon, Rattlesnake, Syphon, Santiago Creek and San Joaquin. The California Department of Water Resources Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD) regulates all jurisdictional dams in the state. Reports and emergency action plans related to IRWD facilities are posted on our website at irwd.com/construction/dam-safety-program.
At IRWD, safety is not only a priority but a necessity for the work we do. Here are some recent projects IRWD has implemented to enhance the safety of our dams:
InSAR satellite monitoring
IRWD is contracted for InSAR, an “eyes in the sky” satellite monitoring system that will record small movements in a dam that could be caused for a variety of reasons. The satellite provides thousands of points every 11 days with measurements to the millimeter. This level of monitoring greatly enhances IRWD’s monitoring capabilities from the traditional approach. . InSAR is not required by the DSOD, but IRWD will use it to monitor San Joaquin and Rattlesnake dams for three years due to the history of nearby landslides at these dams.
Instrumentation pilot program
A new instrumentation pilot program was recently begun at Sand Canyon Dam. Similar to Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), it uses cloud-based Automatic Data Acquisition Systems (ADAS) to collect and display technical information in real time. This program includes information on piezometer readings, which monitors seepage through embankment dams and allows for quick response to proactively address potential issues.
This project, when complete, will substantially decrease the labor involved with manually collecting water-level readings. Instead, it will provide continuous instrument readings that are available at a moment’s notice.
Monthly inspection form
IRWD recently adopted a systematic and disciplined monthly inspection process that includes a scoring system to provide early indications for areas of concern. IRWD continues to fine-tune the system and is developing an electronic version to improve the process for completing the forms and tracking results.
Dam safety program guidelines
An IRWD Dam Safety Committee is dedicated to dam safety. The cross-department committee hosts quarterly meetings that focus on safety at IRWD’s dams following District dam safety guidelines, which include seismic monitoring, movement monitoring, training, and Risk Informed Decision-Making (RIDM). RIDM is a method of dam safety evaluation that goes beyond minimum state requirements to understand risks and further inform important decision-making.
“These recurring Dam Safety Committee meetings bring renewed focus on the importance of the dams and promote accountability,” said Engineering Manager Jacob Moeder, who oversees IRWD’s Dams and Storage team.
National Dam Safety Awareness Day was established to memorialize the 2,220 people who lost their lives in 1889 when the South Fork Dam collapsed in Pennsylvania. To learn more or find out how to get involved with dam safety, visit fema.gov.
IRWD honors young water scientists
IRWD recently honored students representing the top four of 20 water-related projects from this year’s 42nd annual Irvine Unified School District Science Fair.
Innovative topics ranged from grey water irrigation systems to growing hydroponic lettuce.
The following eight students received a framed certificate during the May 22 IRWD Board of Directors meeting, but we congratulate all students who participated!
Tanav Gopalakrishna, 7th grade, Jeffrey Trail Middle School
Project: The Trash Trap, a contraption invented to prevent trash from flowing into storm drain inlets.
Kratika Katara, 9th grade, Northwood High School
Project: Soil Moisture Sensor for Plants, a sensor invented to check the moisture levels of soil.
Max Chen, Jace Jackson, and Gavin Meng, 6th grade, Brywood Elementary School
Project: A Tiny Change, A Huge Difference, a case study on the effects of diverse environments on microorganisms.
Chakrika Kandepu, Jimin Hong, and Maria Black, 6th grade, Eastshore Elementary School
Project: How Plants Affect Water, experiments showing plants take up nitrogen, which improves water quality.
All the water-related projects were quite impressive. Click on each link to view the Google Slides presentation.
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Middle/high school students |
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School |
Project title |
Student name |
Grade |
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Venado Middle School |
Neil Dedhia |
7th |
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Venado Middle School |
Abhijith Sivaprakash |
7th |
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Rancho San Joaquin Middle School |
Ashvik Nacham |
8th |
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Rancho San Joaquin Middle School |
Derek Jindong Sha |
8th |
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Rancho San Joaquin Middle School |
Aryan Sharma |
8th |
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Elementary school students |
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School |
Project title |
Student name(s) |
Grade |
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Santiago Hills |
Anish Pashikanti, Nesara Shetty, Ritvik Garg |
6th |
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Deerfield |
Soham Shah, Nihaar Pinninti, Jayavardhan Tummalapali |
6th |
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Turtle Rock |
Ayaan Mozaffar |
6th |
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Cypress Village |
Urja Patil, Sia Miglani, Akshara Gurram |
6th |
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Deerfield |
Sathvik Dornala, Allen Georgy, Arka Mandal |
6th |
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Westpark |
A Shell Story' ~Fighting Against the Osteoporosis of the Sea |
Kino Yahagi |
6th |
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Eastwood |
Mira Scheele, Christine Jeon |
6th |
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Bonita Canyon |
Madison Price |
6th |
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University Park |
Rajarshi Paul |
6th |
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College Park |
Ashley Esmond, Claire Kim |
6th |
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Stonegate |
Cleaning up after oil spills: The best material that cleans up oil spills |
Valerie Hwang |
6th |
IRWD wins customer satisfaction award
For the second straight year, IRWD has been honored with J.D. Power’s top Customer Satisfaction Award, recognizing the District as the best midsize water utility in the Western United States, as rated by its customers.
Contributing to the overall first-place finish, the survey ranked IRWD No. 1 in four categories central to the District’s values: quality/reliability, conservation, billing/payment, and communications. Nationwide, only eight water agencies win this award each year.
The U.S. Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, now in its eighth year, measures satisfaction among residential customers of 92 water utilities that deliver water to populations of at least 400,000 and is reported in four geographic regions (Midwest, Northeast, South and West) and two size categories (large and midsize).
Overall satisfaction is measured by examining 33 attributes in six factors (listed in order of importance): quality and reliability; price; conservation; billing and payment; communications; and customer service. The study is based on the responses of 36,833 residential water utility customers and was conducted in four waves from June 2022 through March 2023.
Emergency? Sign up for IRWD Alert!
To better reach you in an emergency, Irvine Ranch Water District has created IRWD Alert — a new notification service with enhanced communications tools to reach out to the community in critical situations.
This service allows us to send real-time alerts by email, voicemail, and SMS/text notification, providing you and your neighbors with important information during an emergency, including what to do and where to find more information.
Click here for more information, or to sign up.
Celebrate Earth Day this month
Earth Day is Saturday, April 22. The national day was created in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson to demonstrate support for environmental protection.
At IRWD, one of our Guiding Principles states: “We are dedicated to providing, conserving, and maximizing the efficient use and reuse of water and renewable resources to the benefit of our customers and to enhance the environment.”
Being protective of the environment is important every day of the year, but for Earth Day, IRWD will participate in the following Orange County events in Irvine, Newport Beach and Lake Forest:
Celebrate Earth Day with the City of Irvine
When: April 15, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Where: Quail Hill Community Center, Irvine
More information: cityofirvine.org/earthday
Earth Day 2023 is April 22, and this year marks the 53rd anniversary of Celebrate Earth Day. Now is the time to preserve and protect our health, our families, and our livelihoods — and together, embody this year's Earth Day theme: Invest in Our Planet. Go to Quail Hill Community Center to enjoy guided hikes, a compost demo, interactive activities offered by the City of Irvine and partner agencies.
Earth Day at the Bay
When: April 22, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center, Newport Beach
More information: newportbay.org/earth-day/
A free family-friendly day full of hands-on arts and crafts, educational activities, and science discovery. Enjoy live music as you explore Adventure Partners’ booths, take a break for a tasty treat at one of the food trucks, and don’t forget to complete the scavenger hunt for prizes and giveaways.
Earth Day in the Woods
When: April 22, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Where: 25041 Trailview Terrace, Lake Forest
More information: lf2.org/earth-day/
Scheduled events include tree planting, education seminar, and a presentation by the OC Bird of Prey Center. There will also be participant booths at which the relevant experts will be available to dispense valuable information and answer questions. The event will also include food trucks, face painting, volunteer opportunities, crafts, freebies, and more.
BONUS: At-home action items
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a coloring page for this year’s Earth Day that would make for a fun at-home activity: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2022-04/earthdaysheet_april2022-4.pdf
Browse earthday.org, where you can find myriad ways to celebrate Earth Day, including this 52-item list of activities you can do right now: https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-tips/
Make it a lesson! The EPA provides several resources for how to teach environmental issues to students from kindergarten through high school: https://www.epa.gov/students
Drop your water use by installing a WaterSense-labeled irrigation controller! You’ll water smarter, and your water and sewer bill will thank you. Plus: IRWD’s Residential Landscape Tune-up Program provides expert help and covers 50 percent of your repair expenses. Apply at https://www.irwd.com/save-water-money/landscape-irrigation-tuneup-program
