While pondering what holiday gifts to give, how about those that keep on giving, save money and put cash back in your pocket?

Irvine Ranch Water District can help you fill those holiday wishes with rebates on high efficiency clothes washers, which save about 14 gallons of water a day. Or how about a new high efficiency toilet? Rebates are also available on those.

In the yard, where approximately 60 percent of a home’s water consumption goes, check out rebates for weather-based irrigation controllers, rotating spray nozzles, moisture sensors and rain barrels. Make the gardener in your family happy, and help with your New Year’s resolution to save water!

Check out our website at irwd.com/save water and money for more information.

During the month of November, IRWD customers used 18.3 percent less water compared to November 2013. The District's six-month running water conservation total stands at 18 percent, which is above the 16 percent total that was mandated for the District earlier this year by the California State Water Resources Control Board. 

IRWD customers have saved over 2 billion gallons of water since June 1st, putting IRWD 82 percent of the way toward reaching its water reduction goal, which must be met by February 29, 2016. Three months remain until the deadline for the District and its customers to achieve total water savings of nearly 2.5 billion gallons. 

IRWD continues to encourage its customers to find ways to save water during the winter by doing the following things:

• Give your sprinklers a winter break - Turn off your sprinklers and let Mother Nature take over during the cooler, wetter months. At a minimum, sprinklers should be left off ahead of, during and for two days after any rainstorm.

• Purchase one or more rain barrels - Put the rain falling on your property to good use, even days after any storms have passed. Rebates of $75 per barrel are available (Maximum of 4 rebates).

• Color Your World with Drought Friendly Landscaping - Winter is a great time to install a drought friendly landscape. IRWD pays customers $2 per square foot for customers to replace their grass lawns with drought friendly gardens.

• Purchase a Weather-Based Irrigation Controller - These smart controllers automatically adjust your sprinkler run times to match changing climate conditions and turn off your sprinklers ahead of and during any rain events. Rebates of up to $80 per controller are available for residents with less than one-acre of landscape.

For more information, please visit the IRWD Drought page. To find out which rebates IRWD offers to its customers, go to rightscapenow.com/rebates.

The Irvine Ranch Water District Board of Directors at its December 14 meeting selected Mary Aileen Matheis to serve as President and Doug Reinhart to serve as Vice President for 2016.

“I am thrilled and pleased that you have found me worthy to serve as President for 2016,” Matheis said. “I am looking forward to the year ahead.”

She has been a member of the Board since 1988. She previously served as Board President in 2012 and 2001. She has served on several standing IRWD committees and currently is a member of the Water Resources Policy and Communications Committee. She also serves on the ACWA Legal Affairs Committee.

Reinhart joined the Board in 2004 and served as President in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2013. He serves on the Engineering and Operations and Water Banking committees, as well as various Ad Hoc Committees.

The Board meets on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 5 p.m. at the District offices at 15600 Sand Canyon Avenue, Irvine.

For more information about the IRWD Board of Directors, please visit our website.

Weather experts are predicting a robust El Nino this winter, which can bring heavy rains. Even though we will have rain, it’s still very important to conserve water, no matter what the weather.

Here are some things you can do to conserve during heavy rain events:

Turn off your sprinklers and let Mother Nature take over during cooler, wetter months. Turn off sprinklers ahead of, during and for two days after any rain storms.

Capture the rain water with rain barrels. Rebates of $75 per barrel are available (maximum of four).

Install a drought-tolerant landscape. Late fall and winter are optimal for planting. IRWD will pay $2 per square foot for customers to remove their grass.

Purchase a weather-based irrigation controller. These smart controllers automatically adjust your sprinkler run times to match changing climate conditions. Rebates of up to $80 per controller are available (for less than one acre of landscape).

Rebate information is available on our website.