Westpark Student to Have Poster Published in 2016 Calendar
A Westpark Elementary School student has had her poster chosen from a field of 159 for publication in the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s “Water is Life” student art calendar for 2016.
Jana Ibrahim was a first grader at Westpark in Irvine when her poster was selected as one of five finalists from the IRWD area for regional judging by Metropolitan. The 159 posters were submitted by the 23 participating member and retail agencies, of which IRWD is one. The calendar will feature 36 pieces of student art work.
A student recognition event will be held at Metropolitan’s Los Angeles offices later this year. The framed student art work will be on display. After the first of the year, all of the framed art work will be part of a traveling art show to be displayed for a week at a time in the lobbies of water agencies all over Southern California.
We will announce when IRWD will be hosting the art show. For more information on our educational programs, please visit our website.
Water Main Break at MacArthur and Von Karman
FINAL UPDATE 8/24 1:00pm: Road paving is complete and all traffic lanes will be reopened at approximately 4pm today.
UPDATE 8/20 1:39 pm: Final repairs to asphalt and concrete are expected to be complete by late evening on Saturday, August 22nd.
UPDATE 8/19 4:27 pm: Water from the flooded parking structure was completely pumped out as of 2:15 pm. Tonight, traffic will be diverted around the water line repair area, with the opposite side of the street remaining open. The excavation site has been temporarily back filled with slurry. Permanent restoration of the asphalt in the road will be scheduled as soon as possible.
UPDATE 8/19 11:39 am: The broken water pipe has been repaired and water service has been restored to the affected buildings.
UPDATE 8/19 10:24 am: All buildings in the area now have water service except for the building impacted by the water in the parking garage.
ORIGINAL POST: At approximately 2:00 AM today, a 10-inch water pipe broke in the vicinity of 4100 MacArthur Blvd, near the corner of MacArthur and Von Karman in Newport Beach.
IRWD crews responded immediately to the site and began working to find and isolate the broken section of pipeline, minimizing the loss of water. Water from the break flooded a nearby parking structure and crews are currently in the process of pumping out the flooded areas.
The water has now been shut off to the site and repairs to the pipeline are expected to begin soon. Repairs are expected to be complete at approximately 11:00 AM. Three out of the four adjacent traffic lanes are currently open.
Summer Time Means Pool Time
Summer is in full swing, temperatures are up and so is pool use. Irvine Ranch Water District would like to remind you that water evaporates from a pool at about the same rate as a lawn uses water.
That’s right, that pool or spa in your backyard evaporates, especially on during hot weather. Here are a few ideas of how pool and spa owners can reduce their water use:
- Cover the pool or spa when it’s not in use. This can save both water and energy. There are many different styles, from floating bubble wrap types to automatic units or hard covers that may be useful where children or animals are present.
- Avoid splashing water onto the surrounding lawn or concrete surfaces.
- Consider a patio cover or shade trees that shield your pool or spa from the sun.
- If you have an automatic refill unit, check it for proper operation.
- Check your filter system for leaks.
- If possible, defer emptying and refilling your pool or spa.
For more water-saving ideas, check out our website.
Drought Survival Expo on Tap
The drought has many of us wondering how we can survive this fourth year of extreme dry weather. Come to the Irvine Ranch Water District’s Drought Survival Expo and learn how!
The event is scheduled for Saturday, September 12, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the District’s headquarters office – 15600 Sand Canyon Avenue, Irvine.
Learn how to install a beautiful, drought-tolerant garden and reduce your water use and ultimately, your water bill.
Workshop sessions include “Converting Sprinkler to Drip,” “Gardening with Natives,” and “How to Check for and Fix Leaks.”
Also included are vendor displays, landscape demonstrations, garden tours, family activities and prizes. Take a stroll through our colorful drought-tolerant demonstration garden for ideas – we have more than 80 different types of plants that are thriving.
So save the date – September 12 – and join us for a great, drought-busting event!
Win a Landscape Makeover
Irvine Ranch Water District presents a new contest – RightScape your landscape and win a garden makeover!
Enter the contest before August 31. Signing up is easy:
- Sign up to be a Drought Survivor on our website before August 31.
- Contestants must reduce their water usage for each of the summer months, July-September, comparing 2014 with 2015.
- The top three contestants with the highest water reduction percentage will win a landscape makeover.
The contest runs through September 30. Three winners will be announced by October 15 and will receive the makeover, valued up to $6,000.
The full contest details, rules and regulations are available on our website
