Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Integral Member of the Team

One of the Irvine Ranch Water District’s greatest resources are its employees.  And the District is proud of the longevity among its workforce. Six employees will reach a 30-year milestone of employment with the District this year – one of them is Joe Breiter.

“Thirty years ago, it never occurred to me I would be here this long,” Breiter, an operator at the Michelson Water Recycling Plant, said. “I was just out of the Army and looking for full-time work.”

He didn’t know a thing about wastewater treatment, but applied for a job with IRWD after a friend advised him of an opening at the plant. He was interviewed, but the job was given to someone else. Six months later, he was about to re-enlist in the Army so he could attend language school, when he received a telephone call from the District.

“It was a life-changing call, because it was IRWD offering me the job I had interviewed for originally,” he said.

For all 30 years of his IRWD career, Breiter has worked in wastewater treatment. When he was hired in 1981, there were three shifts working at the Michelson plant. Emerging computer technology eventually rendered three shifts unnecessary, Breiter said. Stand-by plant operators could respond to problems at the plant from home with the click of a mouse.

Over the years, Breiter attended school and received all of the training and certificates.  He became active in the Santa Ana River Basin division of the California Water Environmental Association (SARBS). He worked his way up the board of directors of SARBS and served is its president in 2006.

Breiter has been on hand to see many plant upgrades to increase capacity of wastewater treatment to recycled water.  In 2006, construction was begun on a circular clarifier that would add the ability of treating up to five million gallons of wastewater per day. In 2009, a massive expansion of the plant began to increase capacity to 28 million gallons per day.

In his position as an “Operator III,” Breiter is responsible for all aspects of the treatment processes required to operate the plant efficiently. He performs daily equipment inspections and monitors conditions in the various steps of the process of converting wastewater to recycled water. In addition, he serves on the District Hazardous Materials Response Team, which responds to emergency situations including chemical spills. He takes readings from meters and gauges and makes appropriate calculations. All operators must continually stay abreast of any changing state and federal regulations and take training as needed.

Breiter is a native of Southern California who entered the Army following high school. It was while he was stationed in the Canal Zone in Panama City that he honed his skills as a photographer, a hobby he had since his school days. At IRWD, Breiter has often been called upon to photograph District events. His photos - especially the one of the iconic windmill at sunrise- have graced many IRWD publications. He found the ideal spot to use his talents – the San Joaquin Marsh.

 In the lobby of the IRWD Sand Canyon headquarters hangs a photo of six black skimmer birds gliding over a pond in the marsh. In 1998, Breiter entered that photo into the Nikon Photo Contest International. He won $300 and his photo was chosen out of 25,000 entries from all over the world to appear in Nikon’s 2000 calendar.

 Many of Breiter’s photos appear on our website.

IRWD Crews Working to Restore Water Service

UPDATE 2:30pm: Water service has been restored to all OPA residents.  If you need further assistance, please call IRWD at 949-453-5300.  Thank you for your patience and understanding.

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Irvine Ranch Water District crews are working fast to make emergency repairs to a 16-inch water main line break at Orange Park Boulevard and Daniel in Orange Park Acres.  The original estimate for service restoration was 10pm. today. 

“We have two crews on site and we are doing everything we can to restore water service to the residents,” said Rory Moore, IRWD Manager of Construction and Repair.  “We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.”

The break occurred in the area where the domestic water lines were installed in 1928. IRWD has several active replacement projects scheduled.

Customers are urged to check the irwd.com website for updates throughout the day.  For immediate assistance, please call 949-453-5300.

Learn How Wastewater is Recycled for Use in the Community

Ever wonder how the Irvine Ranch Water District recycles water for reuse in the community? IRWD scientists and the IRWD Water Quality Laboratory will be highlighted at the IRWD 50^th Anniversary Customer Appreciation Event on Saturday, September 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tours of the laboratory will offer table-top demonstrations of the water recycling process, including a peek at the microbes that make it all possible.

IRWD believes water is too valuable to use only once, so wastewater is converted into high quality recycled water which is an essential component of the IRWD water supply portfolio. Bring the whole family to the IRWD Customer Appreciation Event and learn about recycled water, water conservation, and other IRWD projects and programs. The event will also feature San Joaquin Marsh tours, water education activities, equipment displays, and more.

Please visit the IRWD website for more information.

Former Los Alisos Water District Became Part of IRWD

The Irvine Ranch Water District Board of Directors honored the City of Lake Forest at its August 22 meeting for being a part of the District's 50 years of history. The city has three different water districts that serve its residents.

"When IRWD consolidated with the Los Alisos Water District in 2001, the collaborative relationship was carried on," said Interim General Manager Paul Cook.

The city's motto is "Remember the past, challenge the future." This motto ties in appropriately with the IRWD 50th Anniversary efforts. Lake Forest ensures its rich heritage of the past is preserved and enhanced in this contemporary city - ready to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future. The city was incorporated in 1991.

Under the provisions of California Water District law, the Los Alisos Water District was formed by ranchers and land owners in 1960 over most of the Spanish land grant area of Ranch Canada de Los Alisos. The new district was formed primarily to obtain imported water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California through the recently formed Orange County Municipal Water District.

In 1961, LAWD, in collaboration with the El Toro Water District, created the Santiago Aqueduct Commission, a joint powers agency that financed and built the V.P. Baker Pipeline. Completed in 1962, the new pipeline extended from the Santiago Lateral of MWD southwest approximately 15 miles. The population within LAWD at this time was less than 300. In 1963, LAWD began construction of sewer collection and treatment facilities.

By December 2000, the population had grown to approximately 43,000 and was served by a domestic water system that included 144 miles of pipe and eight reservoirs with a combined storage of 60 million gallons. Sewer service was provided by a 106-mile sewer collection system, one sewer lift station and a secondary sewage tratment facility with a capacity of 7.5 million gallons per day. Tertiary treatment facilities of 5.5 million gallons per day provided recycled water through 21 miles of pipe and five reservoirs with 15 million gallons of storage capacity.

In early 2000, LAWD entered into discussions with IRWD regarding potential consolidation. The primary goal was to improve water reliability in the LAWD service area, which at the time received two thirds of its water supply from Metropolitan. The two districts merged January 1, 2001, following approval by the Local Agency Formation Commission.

In 2006, IRWD constructed an intertie project to tie the service area into our domestic system. Since then, IRWD has also drilled wells, rehabilitated wells and conducted a sewer rehabilitation project.  Soon we’ll be starting the Baker Water Treatment Plant project. This regional project will be built at the existing Baker Filtration Plant site in the City of Lake Forest. The project is intended to provide increased water supply reliability to south Orange County by increasing local treatment capability for multiple water supply sources, including imported water and local surface water from Irvine Lake. It will also help provide a reliable local potable water supply in the event of emergency conditions or scheduled maintenance on the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California's (MWD) delivery system (Diemer Filtration Plant, Lower Feeder Pipeline or Allen-McColloch Pipeline) and increase operational flexibility by creating redundancy with the water conveyance system. Project partners include IRWD, El Toro Water District, Mouton Niguel Water District, Santa Margarita Water District and Trabuco Canyon Water District.

The City of Lake Forest has been a great partner to Irvine Ranch Water District in all endeavors.  Both of our organizations have grown together throughout the years and the growth of the community.