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!

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

During this time of drought, we are advising our customers that “brown is the new green.” So when you are driving down the street and you see a big green lawn on public property, or a greenbelt or park, more than likely those areas are irrigated with recycled water.

Irvine Ranch Water District pioneered the use of purple pipe to designate that recycled water is in use. So if you have any doubts, look for signs advising “This area irrigated using recycled water.” Or, you can look at the tops of sprinklers heads or the meter boxes – if they are purple, recycled water is in use.

In the IRWD service area, recycled water is primarily used for irrigation of public areas, agricultural crops, toilet flushing in commercial buildings, in air conditioning cooling towers in high-rise buildings and for mixing concrete. Landscape irrigation includes schools, ballfields, golf courses, parks, and greenbelts.

Recycled water is an important part of the IRWD water portfolio, because it stretches our water supply further. For every gallon of recycled water used, that’s a gallon of drinking water saved for customer use. The state water reduction mandate does not apply to the use of recycled water.

For more information on IRWD’s recycled water program, please visit our website.

The annual Sea and Sage Audubon’s annual Summer Barbecue is a must for those who have always wanted to enjoy a sunset dinner at the Irvine Ranch Water District’s San Joaquin Marsh. The event is scheduled for Saturday, July 25, from 5-10 p.m

This year’s featured speaker is Catherine Hamilton, who will take barbecue participants on an inspirational journey of birds and art. Hamilton grew up exploring the mountains and deserts of Southern California with a paint brush in hand and a love for the birds and wildlife. She became a contemporary artist in New York City and a full-time bird enthusiast. Combing her two passions, this adventure turned into four years of birding, painting in the field and in studios, and visiting museum ornithological collections.

This event is very popular and always sells out, so reservations are necessary. The menu will include chicken and freshly grilled hot dogs, salad, beans, chips, fresh fruit, cake, lemonade, and coffee. A veggie wrap will be provided for those who specifically request it on their reservation forms. The event is staffed entirely by Sea and Sage volunteers.

This family event will feature something for everyone:

• Dining in the meadow (6-7 p.m.)
• A sale of used nature books (5-7:15 p.m.)
• Evening walks around the marsh after dinner (6:30-7:50 p.m.)
• Catherine Hamilton’s program (starts at 8:15 p.m.)
• Evening walks after the program

Tickets for the barbecue and program are $20 for adults and $7 for children under five. Tickets include meals and beverages, evening marsh walk and program. Activities will begin at 5 p.m. Arrive early to sign up for the wildlife walks, as they are limited to 20 people.

For more information, reservations, and directions, call Sea and Sage Audubon at (949) 261-7963. The marsh is a hidden oasis located in the heart of Irvine. For more information on the Marsh, please visit the IRWD website.