The IRWD San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary is one of our community’s best-kept secrets. With more than 300 acres of coastal freshwater wetlands, this natural habitat gives visitors the opportunity to commune with plants and wildlife. And you’re always invited.

Enjoy a walk along the 12 miles of trails, or take a photo of some of the 200+ bird species that reside at the marsh. This sanctuary is the jewel of IRWD’s Natural Treatment System—a network of man-made wetlands throughout our community that naturally remove contaminants from urban runoff, preventing them from reaching Upper Newport Bay.

The Marsh also serves as a classroom for students. Discovery Cube Orange County offers hands-on activities and field trips so students can learn the science of water. IRWD also works with the Sea & Sage Audubon Society to provide a variety of wildlife education programs and tours.

Plan Your Visit

San Joaquin Marsh is at 5 Riparian View in Irvine. For a map and more information, visit IRWD.com/san-joaquin-marsh.

• Come any day. It’s open dawn to dusk seven days a week.
• Enjoy the wetlands on foot. No bikes, scooters or horses.
• This is a wildlife refuge and place for quiet reflection. No dogs permitted.

The Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County has honored Irvine Ranch Water District with its 2019 Emerald Award for Greenest Company.

The award — which recognizes IRWD for its environmentally friendly programs such as recycled water and its Energy Storage Project — was presented Sept. 12 at the Chamber’s tenth annual Green & Health Expo in Garden Grove.

“On behalf of the Irvine Ranch Water District, I am quite honored to be here today,” said IRWD Executive Director of Water Policy Paul Weghorst, who accepted the award. “Environmental stewardship is one of our District’s core values, and we take this important recognition to heart.”

The Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County gives Emerald Awards to a select few local companies and agencies whose products, initiatives and business practices benefit the environment, improve local health, and contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

“IRWD is a longtime leader in green and sustainable practices,” Weghorst said, “particularly when it comes to recycled water.”

Since 1963, IRWD has created recycled water by capturing water that goes down the drain in local homes and businesses, then running it through a multi-step treatment process. Today, this drought-proof water makes up a quarter of the District’s supply, saving IRWD from importing expensive water from Northern California or out of state.

Recycled water is not for drinking, but it keeps our community green and beautiful in an environmentally sustainable way.  Almost all of the public and commercial landscape in the IRWD service area — including parks, medians, college campuses, homeowners association properties and golf courses — is irrigated with recycled water. It also is used for air conditioning and toilet flushing in some commercial buildings, for fighting wildfires, and for concrete production, composting, and dust control on construction sites. Recycled water reduces the need for additional drinking water facilities and reduces the amount of treated sewage discharged into the ocean. Every gallon of recycled water saves a gallon of drinking water.

IRWD’s Energy Storage Project is a public-private partnership that saves money, promotes energy reliability, and supports a sustainable approach to energy use and water delivery in Orange County. This year IRWD completed installation of a 6.5 MW/35.7 MWh network of Tesla batteries at six of its largest and most energy-intensive facilities, including the Michelson Water Recycling Plant. The project helps stabilize and balance demand on the strapped Southern California electrical grid, and reduces the threat of outages at District facilities and throughout the community.

Hey, foodies! Is your favorite restaurant water-efficient? You’ll know when you see the WaterStar Restaurant logo in the window.

Irvine Ranch Water District has launched WaterStar Restaurant, a certification for restaurants that improve their water efficiency. We’re inviting restaurants to get involved. The application process includes consultation with an IRWD water efficiency expert and a site visit to assess how efficiently the restaurant is using water—in the kitchen, and for other needs such as restrooms, cooling, heating and landscaping. Restaurants that qualify as WaterStars receive a variety of benefits, including access to special rebates on water-efficient fixtures. And like all IRWD customers who save water, they also save on their water bill.

WaterStar Restaurant is an extension of IRWD’s WaterStar Business program, which already has certified 15 businesses. Collectively, they are saving more than 250 million gallons of water per year for our community. For more information, visit RightScapeNow.com/waterstar.

This past week, Irvine Ranch Water District commemorated Special Districts Week to encourage residents to be involved in their community and be civically engaged with their local government.

Special Districts Week, September 22-28, was established by the State Legislature earlier this year with bi-partisan approval of Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 89.

ACR 89 was sponsored by The California Special Districts Association (CSDA), which is a statewide association representing over 1,000 special districts and affiliate organizations throughout the state. Special districts are local government entities created by a community’s residents, funded by those residents, and overseen by those residents, to provide specialized services and infrastructure.

“Special districts are formed by residents to provide essential services that they want and need at the local level. They provide an opportunity to have local control while enhancing services that make communities thrive and survive.” said CSDA’s CEO Neil McCormick. He continued, “We appreciate the Legislature’s support in raising awareness and increasing understanding about the special districts that serve our State’s communities.”