The Board of Directors of Irvine Ranch Water District will host two budget workshops to review the proposed Operating Budgets for the Fiscal Years 2021-22 and 2022-23. The workshops will be held virtually via Webex at 5 p.m. on Monday, April 12, and Monday, April 26.

Meeting link will be posted on the board calendar. Any interested persons are invited to be present and make a comment. Copies of the proposed budgets are available on the IRWD website at this link and this link.

Irvine Ranch Water District is an independent special district serving central Orange County. IRWD is committed to providing high-quality drinking water, reliable sewage collection and treatment, ground-breaking recycled water programs, and environmentally sound urban runoff treatment to its customers. As an independent, not-for-profit public agency, IRWD is governed by a publicly elected five-member Board of Directors. The District adheres to a two-year operating budget cycle and the fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30 each year.

Fixing a leaky toilet can save 30 to 50 gallons of water per day: Even the smallest drip, if left alone, can quickly add up and lead to over-allocation charges that result in higher water bills. This month, in observance of WaterSense’s Fix a Leak Week, IRWD is rewarding customers who track down and repair leaks in their home.

Enter the Fix a Leak Sweepstakes starting March 3 and be entered to win one of seven $100 Home Depot gift cards. Fill out an entry form and send us a photo of you checking your toilet for a leak. Learn more at IRWD.com/FixALeakWeek.

The Irvine Ranch Water District is accepting student entries for the 2021 Water Awareness Poster Contest. The Water Awareness Poster Contest is a wonderful opportunity for children and young adults to learn about the importance of water, and express their ideas through art. Over the years, Orange County students have taken a closer look at our most precious natural resource – water – and discovered for themselves how access to clean, fresh drinking water improves our daily lives.

The Poster Contest is open to all Orange County students. All hand-drawn artwork should reflect this year’s theme: Save Together. The theme was selected to get students thinking about our most valuable natural resource – water – and how working together to save it is vital for our way of life. Students kindergarten through 12th grade are eligible.

To inspire students to take part in the contest, the IRWD water efficiency team has put together some tips on saving water.

Water Efficiency Specialist Joseph Baquerizo: Set timers and reminders! Pick your favorite shower song (ideally not “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”) and finish your shower as the song comes to an end. 

Water Efficiency Intern David Gomez: Keep your ears open for phantom flushing or hissing noises coming from your bathroom. Running/leaking toilets can lead to an excessive waste of water and are among the most common indoor water leaks. Watch IRWD's "How to Check your Toilet for Leaks" video.

Water Efficiency Supervisor Nola Hastings: Learn what plants are native to Southern California and avoid planting non-native, thirsty plants. Visit CalScape.org to check out the plant database.

Find out more details, including contest rules and entry submission process, at IRWD.com/postercontest.

The District has long been committed to protecting the environment through effective water and resource management. Protecting, sustaining and revitalizing the environment matters to IRWD and we have demonstrated this longstanding commitment to environmental sustainability through a variety of innovative water management programs including urban runoff reduction and treatment at the San Joaquin Marsh, which encompasses more than 300 acres of coastal freshwater wetlands. In addition to providing a valuable open space oasis and wildlife habitat for the community, the working wetlands help naturally clean the urban runoff from San Diego Creek, removing up to 70 percent of the nitrogen carried in the water, helping to protect the environmentally sensitive Upper Newport Bay.

Modeled after the San Joaquin Marsh, the IRWD Natural Treatment System is a series of smaller, man-made wetlands located throughout the IRWD service area. These wetlands naturally remove contaminants from urban runoff in a cost-effective and environmentally sound manner. Both the Natural Treatment System and the San Joaquin Marsh help IRWD protect the environment through the treatment of natural dry-weather runoff.

The Sea & Sage Audubon has been an outstanding partner to IRWD. Through the years, we’ve made great strides in educating residents of Orange County. Our collaborative programs and activities are designed to increase public appreciation and awareness of the beauty and diversity of wildlife in the San Joaquin Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary.

Learn more at IRWD.com.

Photo: IRWD Board Member Peer Swan surveys the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in 2005.