IRWD’s Water Conservation Department will be teaming up with the University of California Extension and Orange County Master Gardeners to host “Water Smart Landscapes” on Saturday, October 2, 2010.

This open house-style event will be held at the South Coast Research and Extension Center at 7601 Irvine Boulevard, Irvine, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. There will be displays of California Friendly plants and lawn alternatives, mulch and composting materials and high efficiency irrigation products.

In addition, there will be presentations on how to “makeover” your landscape to use up to 50 percent less water. Experts will be on hand to answer questions about gardening, irrigation, pest control and much more.

The Orange County Master Gardeners are volunteers from the community with an interest in gardening who have successfully completed an extensive training program through the University of California Cooperative Extension program.

The South Coast Research and Extension Center was established by the University of California in 1956 as a representative site for agricultural research on 200 acres.

There is no charge to attend the landscape open house event and reservations are not necessary. Mark your calendar for October 2, 2010.

More information is available at www.alwayswatersmart.com.

IRWD is proud to announce the launch of our new next-generation website at www.irwd.com, offering a fresh look and feel. The site is not only aesthetically pleasing, but features relevant content with simple navigation. IRWD’s commitment to high quality customer service shines through via the new site -- enabling customers to enjoy site visits, whether it be to pay their bill, learn more about where water comes from or tips to help conserve.

The redesigned website features new technology to make the website experience better for our customers. The content features current information about IRWD’s services and programs, including simple ways to pay water bills, our innovative recycled water program and all things conservation in the www.alwayswatersmart.com section.

Customers can learn more about IRWD, where our water comes from and how it’s treated. There are also plenty of tips, tools and resources for all of our customers for all things water and water conservation. Surf our new website and learn about such upcoming events as our Fall Landscape Open House and resident tours. Check out the Water Quality section to view the latest water quality report or get self help on water quality issues. Find out how IRWD cleans up urban runoff before it enters the Newport Back Bay. Learn how to read your water meter, check for water leaks that can cause a high water bill and how to check your water pressure regulator.

IRWD first entered the Internet age with its then-new website in 1997. The current redesign is the District’s third site. Visitors can easily access the District’s social media pages like You Tube, Facebook and Twitter. The District has been participating in social media since April 2009 and our new technology-friendly website provides a framework to help grow and sustain those effective social media efforts.

It’s all there waiting to be discovered on IRWD’s new website!  

Contact: Shannon Reed, Public Affairs manager
reeds@irwd.com, (949) 453-550

IRWD will begin construction on the San Diego Creek Flood Protection Improvement Project which will replace temporary flood protection K-rail barriers with a permanent protective wall. 

The goal of the project is to provide the IRWD Michelson Water Reclamation plant with year-round permanent 100-year flood protection.  Construction is expected to be completed in spring 2011.

During construction, visitors to the San Joaquin Marsh Campus will experience intermittent limited access to trails behind the Duck Club. This fall, access to the marsh off Riparian View from Michelson Drive will be temporarily closed and visitors will be directed to use an alternate entrance from Campus Drive during construction.

Crews began removing the temporary sand bags and concrete barriers the first week of August and have completed that portion of the work, in preparation for construction of the flood wall to begin.

For the safety of marsh visitors, updated trail detours will be posted in the Sea and Sage Audubon House. Please visit www.irwd.com for construction and marsh access information.

The iconic wooden windmill that has greeted visitors to IRWD’s Michelson Water Recycling Plant since 1988 has a long and storied past.

Visitors driving past the plant are probably not aware that what they are seeing is not the rustic structure that sat there for 20 years, but rather a wooden tower and wheel erected in 2009 that looks very much like the original.  The wind vane is the only piece of equipment that has survived the rigors of time.

The original windmill was probably built between 1916 and 1932 by Aermotor Windmills of San Antonio, Texas. It was one of about 1,200 such windmills that dotted the vast Irvine Ranch before modern water pumping devices were available. All but a few had fallen to progress over the years.

In the late 1970s, the windmill became a landmark at the old Irvine Ranch Market on Myford Road and the Interstate 5 freeway in Irvine. The windmill’s fate was in jeopardy when the market was bulldozed in 1983 to make way for the realignment of the road.

That’s when IRWD stepped in to preserve the windmill as part of the area’s water history. Long-time Irvine Ranch employee Jim Olson, first moved the windmill to an IRWD storage yard at the recycling plant and then to its permanent home in front of the facility in 1988. Interestingly enough, the windmill was once again moved by Olson, who by then was working at IRWD as the construction and repair manager.

In 2005, the windmill was dedicated to Olson, who passed away in 2002. A monument sits at the base of the windmill, with a plaque telling its story.

In March 2008, the windmill was damaged during high winds. An IRWD employee discovered blades dangling from the wheel and others lying on the ground. Two days later, the 600-pound wheel was removed while IRWD officials pondered whether to fix the vintage structure or replace it.

Ultimately, the old wooden tower made the decision to retire. It was riddled with dry rot and deemed structurally unsafe to support a new wheel, so it was demolished. Rock Ridge Windmills, based in Cloverdale, California, provided the new wooden tower and wheel mechanism. A year later, the windmill was reborn with a combination of old and new parts, in keeping with the historical spirit of the original.

The windmill, located at the entrance to IRWD’s Michelson Water Reclamation Plant on Riparian View Road, can be seen by visitors coming to the IRWD San Joaquin Marsh and Campus.  For more information on IRWD, our historical preservation programs, and the San Joaquin Marsh and Campus, please visit www.irwd.com.