A Look Back at 50 Years of Value

Dec. 6, 2011 - PRLog -- High Points and Accomplishments Highlighted
Irvine Ranch Water District was formed in 1961 under the provisions of the California Water District Act to meet the increasing water needs of the region. Over the past 50 years, the District has achieved many milestones, focusing on building necessary infrastructure to provide quality drinking water and wastewater treatment services to the burgeoning population.

“IRWD has become well-known for innovative projects and programs that provide customers with a reliable and safe water supply at the lowest possible cost,” said IRWD General Manager Paul Cook. “From the IRWD allocation-based conservation rate structure, cutting-edge water efficiency programs to a well planned and diversified water supply, IRWD is well positioned to meet the needs of our customers for the next 50 years.”

The District has expanded its geographic area from just the city of Irvine through consolidations with the Santa Ana Heights Mutual Water Company in 1997; Carpenter Irrigation District in 2000; Los Alisos Water District in 2001; Santiago County Water District in 2006 and the Orange Park Acres Mutual Water Company in 2008. IRWD’s service area covers 181 square miles from the ocean to the foothills and includes Irvine, Tustin Ranch, Portola Hills, Foothills Ranch, Santa Ana Heights, Orange Park Acres and portions of Lake Forest, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Orange and unincorporated Orange County. In the last 50 years, IRWD has grown from 300 mostly agricultural customers to serve a population of more than 300,000.

Here is a just a sample of IRWD accomplishments through the decades:

In 1963, the Board of Directors began the process to bring recycled water to its customers in order to enhance water supply reliability.
In 1966, the Michelson Water Recycling Plant was under construction and went online in 1967.
In 1973, IRWD began construction of a system designed to transport recycled water from the Sand Canyon Reservoir to the recently acquired Rattlesnake Reservoir. An important phase of the District’s total water management concept was the projection of a system designed to reclaim 100 percent of the wastewater discharged by the District.
In 1974, IRWD acquired storage rights in Irvine Lake as well as existing water rights in Santiago Creek.
In 1978, Governor Jerry Brown announced a statewide objective of 400 million gallons of wastewater to be reused daily by 1982. IRWD was the first wastewater reclamation agency in California to qualify for and obtain a producer/primary user permit for the reuse of treated wastewater.  
In 1981, IRWD received the first unrestricted permit for the use of recycled water, recognizing that recycled water from MWRP meets all criteria for unrestricted use.
In 1984, IRWD launched a $35 million project to tap the groundwater supply in the Orange County basin to provide less expensive water for customers. The first phase of the project included six wells in Santa Ana, called the Dyer Road Wellfield.
In 1984, IRWD dedicated a new 15 million gallon reservoir. The steel reservoir on Sand Canyon Avenue was hailed as the largest steel reservoir in California.
In 1989, IRWD and the Metropolitan Water District collaborated on a new conservation program to help local residents save water and money. This pilot program involved home water use surveys offered to 1,000 residents and a resident retrofit program for 4,000 homes.
In 1990, IRWD offered its customers the first of an annual water quality report.
In 1990, IRWD and the Woodbridge Village Associated celebrated the opening of the first fully approved restroom facility which uses recycled water for toilet flushing in Echo Run Park.
In 1991, the first high-rise office tower in Irvine to use recycled water in toilet flushing was announced at 3 Park Plaza, Jamboree Center. The 20-story building using recycled water was the result of three years of planning.
In 1992, IRWD began constructing a building in Santa Ana to conduct research on developing a water treatment system capable of removing naturally occurring compounds that produce a yellowish brown tint in some local groundwater.
In 1993, construction of the IRWD new operations center at the Michelson plant began.
In 1995, IRWD completed the purchase of the 335 acres surrounding the Michelson Water Recycling Plant from the Irvine Company. The purchase would provide buffer land for the plant while allowing the San Joaquin Marsh to be enhanced by the Irvine Company for 70 acres of habitat mitigation at no cost to IRWD.
In 1997, IRWD and the Irvine Company began restoration of the San Joaquin Marsh. The completion of the project was celebrated in 1998, with a public open house.
In 2001, The Orange County Water District and IRWD were poised to approve the Irvine Desalter Project to clean up contaminated groundwater from the former El Toro Marine Base.
In 2002, the Deep Aquifer Treatment System went into operation in Santa Ana. The project was designed to remove color molecules from water pumped from the deepest zones of the Orange County Groundwater Basin.
In 2004, IRWD moved forward with the design of the first phase of constructed water quality wetlands for the Natural Treatment System project, which cleans up urban runoff.
In 2005, IRWD dedicated its newly reconfigured San Joaquin Reservoir during a ceremony in Newport Beach. The new one-billion gallon reservoir stores recycled water.
In 2007, the Potable Treatment Facility portion of the Irvine Desalter Project went online.
In 2007, 700 solar panels were installed on the roof of the Sand Canyon building, providing 20 percent of the total energy needs for the building.
In 2008, IRWD announced its partnership with the Discovery Science Center to provide free water education to schools in the IRWD service area.
In 2009, Construction began on the IRWD Michelson Water Recycling Plant to expand the facility to accommodate 28 million gallons of wastewater per day. Construction is anticipated to conclude late 2012.
In 2009, IRWD entered into a 30-year groundwater water banking partnership in Kern County, to ensure a reliable water supply.
As 2011 draws to a close, IRWD will conclude a year of celebration, remembrance and discovery of more than five decades of service to the community. We look forward to the next 50 years!

For more information about IRWD, please visit our website.