IRWD Asks Customers to Voluntarily Reduce Water Use by 20 Percent

Feb. 13, 2014 - PRLog -- In response to statewide drought declaration by Governor Brown, the Irvine Ranch Water District Board of Directors has adopted a resolution asking all IRWD customers to voluntarily reduce their water use by 20%. This voluntary conservation effort will help reduce demand on current statewide water supplies and extend water reserves if the drought continues for an extended period.

“It is important for all Californians to reduce their water use,” said Steve LaMar, President of the IRWD Board of Directors, “While the Southern California region has made substantial infrastructure investments, it is still important that we all do our part to save water. Together we can make a difference.”

For over twenty years, IRWD has made water use efficiency a top priority through the implementation of water efficient practices and programs and the development of alternative water supply resources such as recycled water. The District offers financial incentives to customers to encourage the installation of high efficiency clothes washers and toilets, and turf replacement and continues to engage customers in innovative and creative ways to conserve water through customer communication programs.

IRWD has also made investments which have reduced its reliance on imported water from 62% in 1990 to 22% in 2013, expanded the use of recycled water, increased storage, and invested in water conservation. These investments have not only reduced long-term costs to IRWD’s rate-payers, but have also provided increased water supply reliability for IRWD customers.

While the average daily water use for an IRWD residential customer has fallen from 170 gallons per day in 1991 to approximately 86 gallons per day in 2014, there are still a few things customers can do to save water:

How Much Can You Save?

  Estimated Water Savings

Water only when necessary

  1,100 gallons per irrigation cycle

Water before 8am

  25 gallons per day

Check for sprinkler leaks, overspray & broken sprinkler heads

  500 gallons per month

Use a water saving hose nozzle

  Up to 7,500 gallons per year

Use a broom, not a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks

  Up to 150 gallons each time

Install a smart sprinkler irrigation controller (rebate available) (http://irwd.com/save-water-money/rebates)

  Up to 40 gallons per irrigation cycle

Place organic mulch in your garden

  Hundreds of gallons per year

Replace thirsty plants with California Friendly plants (rebate available (http://irwd.com/save-water-money/rebates))

  Hundreds of gallons per year

For more water saving tips and ways to save water and money please visit the IRWD website water savings portal at: http://www.irwd.com/save-water-money (http://irwd.com/save-water-money).

To learn more about IRWD’s new outside water savings center please visit http://www.irwd.com/CALscape (http://irwd.com/CALscape)

Up to date information on the California drought can be found at http://www.saveourh2o.org/