Over the past several years, fire season in Southern California has not been limited to the hot summer and fall months. Fires have been reported in winter and spring, as well.

Irvine Ranch Water District customers who live in the foothill and canyon areas are more vulnerable to fires and would benefit from including fire resistant plants in their landscaping plans. Two things many of these plants have in common – they use little water and are attractive.

Below is a small sample of options for homeowners to consider when planting:

• Monkeyflower – this entire species is endorsed for use by the Orange County Fire Authority. Be sure to check out the drought-tolerant varieties.
• California lilac - the California lilac is a large shrub with a dense mass of dark green, one-inch leaves, with dark blue clusters of flowers appearing in spring. It requires good drainage, can tolerate summer water and grows to six feet.
• Autumn sage - nothing evokes California quite like a sage-scented hillside. Beloved by hummingbirds and firefighters alike, the autumn sage is endorsed for use by the Orange County Fire Authority.
• Common yarrow - this appears on fire-resistant lists for the California Native Plant Society and the Orange County Fire Authority.
• French lavender - although not a true California native, this attractive drought-tolerant plant makes fire-resistant lists for Orange County.
• Coast live oak – a handsome shade tree. Round-headed with dense foliage, it grows 20-70 feet tall. It has smooth, dark grey bark, with leathery dark green leaves. It is native to coastal central and Southern California.
• California sycamore - sycamores have delighted generations of Californians, and this particular variety is endorsed for use by the Orange County Fire Authority.
• Toyon - a classic California native, it has white flowers in the summer and berries in the winter. It gets good marks from the Orange County Fire Authority.

For more information about water-efficient planting, check out our website.

An IRWD engineer and the Board of Directors were honored by the Southwest Membrane Operator Association with the 2013 Distinguished Service Award. The awards were presented to Carl Spangenberg, an IRWD 27-year employee, and the board at their June 24 meeting.

Spangenberg served on SWMOA’s Board of Directors from 2007 through 2012. He was a founding member of SWMOA and was instrumental in the growth and development of the organization. IRWD has maintained a presence within the membership of SWMOA since its inception and has hosted workshops and SWMOA board meetings.

The board was honored for their support of the use of membrane technology in many of the District’s projects.

SWMOA is an affiliate of the American Membrane Technology Association and dedicated to the Southwest United states region including Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah. The organization was formed to provide membrane operators a forum to exchange information, share experiences and knowledge and to obtain training.

IRWD has three water treatment plants that use membrane technology to purify drinking water. Two more facilities – the upgraded Michelson Water Recycling Plant and the future Baker Water Treatment Plant, will use membrane filtration when they go online.

The Deep Aquifer Treatment System (DATS) went online in 2002. This plant, located in Santa Ana, purifies water from the deepest portion of the Orange County Groundwater Basin. The process removes color from the water caused by ancient vegetation.

The Potable Treatment Plant went online in 2007 and removes salts from groundwater caused by many years of agricultural activity in the area. This plant provides 1.6 billion gallons of drinking water per year to our customers.

The well 21-22 Water Treatment Plant went online this year and recovers and treats local impaired groundwater for use in the drinking water system. Water from these wells and treatment plant is projected to produce approximately 6,300 acre-feet per year of drinking water.

The Michelson Water Recycling Plant is scheduled to be completed later this year and construction on the Baker plant to begin shortly thereafter.

More information about your sources of water is available on our website.

Irvine Ranch Water District Urges Support of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan; A Plan to Increase Water Supply Reliability in Southern California.

Over the past two decades, the Irvine Ranch Water District has successfully taken many steps to diversify the District’s water supply and reduce reliance on imported water. These supply diversification efforts have included investment in water recycling, water use efficiency, groundwater production, and water banking programs. Despite these efforts and like most of Southern California, IRWD continues to have some degree of reliance on imported water supplies including supplies from the Delta.

The Bay Delta provides water to 25 million Californians and three million acres of agriculture lands. The water the Delta provides supports California’s $1.7 trillion economy, and sustains 750 different plant and animal species. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) is a joint state and federal effort to develop and implement a 50-year comprehensive plan to fundamentally and systematically improve both the state’s water supply reliability and restore the Delta’s ecosystem. As part of the plan, a new water conveyance facility will be built to protect California’s water supply, habitat will be restored, and pollutants and invasive species will be removed to improve the health of the Delta ecosystem.

A reliable and high quality imported water supply is a vital component of the District’s and Southern California’s water resources portfolio. Implementing the BDCP is essential to ensuring a sustainable water supply for millions of Californians and the protection of the Delta as a unique natural asset.

For more information on Bay Delta Conservation Plan Policy Principles adopted by the IRWD Board of Directors, please click here.

Irvine Ranch Water District has received a PROTOS Award from the Orange County Public Relations Society of America in the community relations/institutional programs category for its Always Water Smart Outreach Campaign.

The IRWD Board of Directors honored the IRWD Public Affairs and Water Efficiency teams at its July 22 Board meeting. IRWD received the award at PRSA’s 38^th annual PROTOS Awards Ceremony on June 4, which honors the top Orange County public relations organizations and professionals for outstanding campaigns and achievements.

“The PROTOS awards recognize the best of the best,” said PRSA President Danny Craig. “It’s a major feather in IRWD’s cap, because it’s a very competitive process.”

Craig added that that the judging was conducted by public relations professionals in Tennessee, which promotes objectivity in the process.

PROTOS are the highest honor given to Orange County public relations practitioners who have demonstrated their understanding of the public relations and communications process including conducting research, defining objectives, and demonstrating measureable results of initiatives. Categories recognized in the PROTOS awards program are for Social Media, Collateral Materials, Media Relations and overall Program Awards in Crisis Communications, Event Planning and more.

Last year, IRWD won two Awards of Excellence from PRSA for the 2011 50^th Anniversary Celebration and for the resident tour program.

The IRWD Always Water Smart program is a resource for all things water efficient – tips, tools, rebates and information on events, webinars and workshops, free water-wise devices for the home, and much more. Please visit our website for more information.