Pipelines is Irvine Ranch Water District's free monthly newsletter, where you'll find the latest water-saving tips and updates from IRWD on topics including District events, rebate programs, water-saving irrigation scheduling and more.
Meeting rooms open for events IRWD customers can reserve our public meeting rooms for free. Learn more at IRWD.com/ reservearoom .
JANUARY 2026
Pink sand verbena
Water efficiency challenge for the new year Practice makes perfect. This year, our Water Efficiency team offers these tips to include in your regular routine for optimum water savings:
Look at your water bill every month. A high bill might mean you have a leak you can fix. Replace your lawn with climate- appropriate plants and adjust watering to the season for significant savings. Report broken sprinklers in the community at IRWD.com/ logaleak . We’ll notify the right person to get it repaired. Your water meter doesn’t lie. Check the flow dial for hidden leaks and drop dye tabs in the toilet tank to reveal leaks.
Curb rainwater, filter water runoff
Iris douglasii
Southern California’s rare storms can wash pollutants into local streams.
A simple rain garden planted with native vegetation captures runoff from roofs and driveways, filters contaminants and recharges the soil in your yard—allowing about 30% more water to soak into the ground compared to lawns. Connecting gutters to a rain garden can channel up to 900 gallons from a single storm. Native plants like Iris douglasii , Juncus patens , Achillea millefolium , and Leymus triticoides thrive in wet dry cycles, reduce flooding risks, recharge aquifers, and provide habitat for birds and butterflies. With these sustainable options, your yard will become a natural filter that safeguards nearby streams, creeks and storm drains. Visit IRWD.com/landscape for helpful resources to get started.
Visit IRWD.com/savewater for more.
Juncus patens
Save the date Water Quality Workshop Thursday, Jan. 22 • 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Got questions about your drinking water? Learn how IRWD treats and tests its water to ensure it is safe—straight from your tap. RSVP required: IRWD.com/events
Achillea millefolium
Kids! It’s poster contest time
Young Picassos, Kahlos and Van Goghs, get ready! IRWD’s annual Water Awareness Poster Contest is back, and this year’s theme—“Water Connects Us All”—invites young creatives in our service area to highlight the many ways water brings people, communities and nature together. Grab your favorite art supplies and illustrate what this theme means to you. Entries, open to students in grades K–12, will be judged in age categories on originality, artistic skill, and adherence to theme and contest rules.
Q: I was notified that you want me to use a new account number. Why is that? A: Many of our longtime customers are still using an outdated 11-digit account number that was phased out when IRWD switched to 10-digit numbers more than a decade ago. To prepare for any future upgrades to our internal digital systems, we are asking these customers to start using the 10-digit account number that has been listed on their water bills for many years. You can find it in the upper right corner of your most recent bill. Using this number now for your bill-pay service will ensure your payments can continue to be made long in the future. Got a question? Email info@IRWD.com .
IRWD finalists will earn special recognition and advance to county and regional competitions, where top winners have a chance to win an iPad from the Municipal Water District of Orange County and could be featured in Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s annual water awareness calendar.
Contest entries are due by Feb. 26. Visit IRWD.com/postercontest for contest guidelines.
Q: Juan, how often should I water my yard? A: Your plants’ water needs change throughout the year, so your watering schedule must change too. In general, you’ll want to irrigate more during the hot summer months when plants need extra moisture, and less during the colder, wetter months. Because every yard is unique, it’s best to follow a plan that adapts to the seasons. Go to IRWD.com/wateringguide for our detailed schedule.
If keeping up with the changes feels challenging, a Wi-Fi-enabled weather-based irrigation controller can automatically adjust to local conditions—and you can get a $255 rebate for it! With the right resources, your yard can stay vibrant and water-wise all year long.
Send your landscape questions to askjuan@IRWD.com or ask on Facebook, X or Instagram with #irwdcommunity .
California native corner Juan’s January plant: Howard McMinn manzanita Howard McMinn manzanita ( Arctostaphylos
Like Us Irvine Ranch Water District Follow Us @IRWDnews Watch Us youtube.com/ IrvineRanchWD Follow Us @IRWDnews
‘Howard McMinn’ ) is a native evergreen shrub prized for its resilience and beauty. With smooth red bark, glossy green leaves, and clusters of delicate pink to white urn-shaped flowers in winter and spring, it attracts pollinators and later produces small red
berries. Adaptable to gardens, it grows into a dense, rounded form reaching 6 to 10 feet in height, making it a striking, low-maintenance addition to California landscapes.
24-Hour customer service: 949-453-5300 Email: CustomerService@IRWD.com Address: 15600 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA 92618 Website: IRWD.com
Board of Directors: Dan Ferons (Div. 4), Steve LaMar (Div. 2), Doug Reinhart (Div. 3),
Peer Swan (Div. 5), John Withers (Div. 1) General manager: Paul A. Cook, PE
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