Seventh and eighth grade students interested in pursuing careers in science and engineering had the opportunity to meet with Irvine Ranch Water District professionals at the Irvine Unified School District’s annual Science Career Options Conference at the University of California, Irvine, on December 18.

Jacob Moeder, a civil engineer for IRWD and Melinda Bergen, an IRWD Water Quality supervisor, spoke to students, explaining the level of education needed to achieve their careers and gave examples of their day-to-day duties.

“Did any of you like building things with Legos, Lincoln Logs or Tinker Toys?” Moeder asked the students. “I always liked building things and taking them apart.”

He described the different engineering disciplines and how it takes a collaborative effort to see projects to fruition. And there is always a demand for engineers, he said.

“Everyone has great ideas,” he said. “It’s like playing with the best football team. It’s gratifying.”

He gave a demonstration on settlement, using two similar plates of sand. He placed equal amount of weight on each one, until one of the piles of sand collapsed under the weight. The other stayed upright. How could that be? A single sheet of toilet paper placed just underneath a layer of sand provided enough tensile strength to keep the weights upright.

Before her demonstration, Bergen handed around IRWD’s annual Water Quality Report, explaining that customers always know what is in their water and that it is safe to drink. A student volunteer assisted in a test that determines the presence of chlorine in a sample of ordinary tap water.

Both Moeder and Bergen fielded questions at the end of their presentations. The goal of the conference is to increase student interest and awareness of science-related careers. IRWD has participated in the IUSD Science Careers Options Conference for all 21 years of its existence.

More information about IRWD educational programs is available on our website.

Be Water Efficient, Rain or Shine

The Irvine Ranch Water District Always Water Smart incentives and services will help you to make your home water efficient. An Always Water Smart home:

• Saves water and energy
• Saves money on utility and landscape bills
• Reduces landscape maintenance
• Reduces water and energy waste in addition to air pollution, greenhouse gasses and green waste

No matter how much it rains in winter, it’s always smart to be water efficient. Leaks and using water excessively, both indoors and outdoors, waste water and money. Take the time this winter to evaluate your household’s water use and investigate if your home has inefficiencies in some of the following most common areas.

Start outdoors. The majority of water use for an average household is used outdoors to water plants. Nearly half of the water used outdoors is wasted through overwatering. With smart, simple choices about plants, sprinklers, and maintenance, you can reduce your water bill and have a climate-appropriate landscape – an Always Water Smart CALscape.

Create your CALscape now. If you remove your water-thirsty lawn, IRWD will pay you $1.50 per square foot of turf removed and help you create your very own Always Water Smart CALscape. Visit the CALscape Resources page at AlwaysWaterSmart.com for more information about outdoor rebates and resources, including a detailed guide to low-water-use plants and landscaping options.

Check indoors. To make the most impact in reducing your indoor water use, shorten your shower length and upgrade older and inefficient appliances and fixtures. Products marked with an EPA WaterSense label are tested to ensure performance and are typically 20 percent more water efficient than average products.

Ask for help. IRWD maintains a team of Always Water Smart experts who will come to your home to help you identify leaks and inefficiencies. These experts will also provide you with resources, tips on available rebates and incentive programs. So what are you waiting for? Your beautiful new CALscape is out there waiting for you.

Filmed at IRWD

One of public television’s most iconic figures, Huell Howser, died Sunday night at the age of 67. Huell worked a variety of public television series such as, “Visiting,” “Road Trip,” “Downtown,” and most recently, “California Gold.”

Howser produced and hosted the Association California Water Association’s popular "California's Water" series, a first-of-its kind public television series launched in 2006. A total of 26 segments of "California's Water" have aired on public television outlets throughout California, covering a variety of topics ranging from climate change to water recycling to the value of tap water.

In 2006, Huell visited IRWD for a segment on what water agencies are doing to encourage wise water use at homes, parks and businesses. Huell visited Irvine’s Windrow Park, one of five synthetic turf demonstrations ponsored by IRWD at the time throughout the service area. Synthetic turf requires no water and minimal maintenance, while helping to reduce urban runoff. Watch the episode here.

In 2007, Huell Howser visited the Irvine Ranch Water District San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary as part of “California's Water” to highlight how wetlands serve as nature’s own water filtration systems.  The segment offered a first-hand look at the valuable function wetlands perform in removing pollutants from runoff while at the same time providing habitat and recreation opportunities.  Watch the segment here.

The Los Angeles Times wrote: “But though his shows were focused on points and people of interest, it was Howser who turned into the main attraction, tackling his subjects with an awestruck curiosity and relentless enthusiasm.”

The water world has lost a good friend.

Annual Poster Contest Kicks Off

Calling budding student artists in the Irvine Ranch Water District service area. Announcements have been sent to all of the local schools, inviting students in kindergarten through fifth grade to participate in the annual “Water is Life” poster contest. In addition, students in grades six through 12 have the opportunity to enter the Water Awareness Photography and Digital Arts Contest.

“We have many talented student artists in our schools and we invite them to showcase their work,” said IRWD Public Affairs Manager Shannon Reed. “We have at least one winner every year.”

The deadline for kindergarten through fifth grade students to enter their art work is Thursday, March 21.  Students participating through the Irvine Unified School District may send their completed posters to Brad Van Patten’s office at the District office on Barranca Parkway.

Contest rules include:

• Use 12 X 18 white paper. Newsprint and larger sizes will not be accepted.
• Students must leave a one inch white border on all four sides.
• Crayons, markers, ink, poster paint, pastels, chalk, water color or cut paper or fabric may be used. Brighter colors photograph best.
• Horizontal (landscape) format only.
• Include a brief water message (be sure to check spelling!)
• Original art work only – no copyrighted material. Be creative!
• Do not put student’s name on the front of the poster.
• Back of poster must have an entry form with student’s information and signed parental release.

Students entering the “Water is Life” poster contest could have their art work published in the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s 2014 calendar.

The deadline for sixth through 12^th grade students to enter the photography and digital arts contest is Friday, March 29. Some rules include:

• All files must be submitted in JPG, PNG, or PDF format and should be no larger than 10 megabytes in size.
• Photographs and digital art work should be medium to high resolution (300 dots per inch or higher.)
• Computer-generated art work can be created using Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator, Microsoft Publisher/PowerPoint, or any other graphics program.
• Only original art work will be accepted. Submissions must not contain images created by anyone other than the student.
• Entries must be emailed to digitalarts@mwdoc.com, or post entries to the Municipal Water District of Orange County facebook page. In the email subject line, type: Digital Arts Contest.
• In the body of the email, include: student’s name; grade level; school name; teacher’s name; home phone number and email address.
• Include two-three sentences explaining how the art work/photograph was created.

Please visit our website for contest entry forms and more information.