In the context of climate change and historic drought in California, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced $12.2 million in funding for Irvine Ranch Water District’s Syphon Reservoir Improvement Project.

The Bureau of Reclamation grant will support a ten-fold expansion of the reservoir off Portola Parkway north of Irvine, enabling it to store more than 5,000 acre-feet of recycled water (1.6 billion gallons) for landscape irrigation and other uses.

IRWD’s nationally acclaimed recycled water system already accounts for 28% of the water the District delivers. It is one or the reasons IRWD only imports 18% of its water from Northern California and out of state. But the Syphon Reservoir expansion will be a significant enhancement.

“Right now, we cannot store all the recycled water we produce in winter,” IRWD General Manager Paul Cook explained. “The Syphon Reservoir project will give us the capacity to store all the recycled water we produce — so it’s not wasted — and so we have plenty to draw from in summer when demand is high.”

Recycled water is drought-proof, because it is made from water that goes down the drain in customers’ homes. The water undergoes a multi-step treatment process at IRWD’s recycling plants.

Recycled water is not for drinking, but it is vital to the community’s water efficiency because it is reliable, cost effective, and helps keep water bills low. Almost all the public and commercial landscape in IRWD’s service area — including parks, medians, college campuses, homeowners association properties, and golf courses — is irrigated with recycled water. It's also used for cooling towers and for concrete production, composting, and dust control on construction sites.

And every gallon of recycled water saves a gallon of drinking water.

Haaland and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton announced the Syphon Reservoir Improvement Project grant at an Aug. 18 news conference on the construction site of a new IRWD recycled water pumping station in Irvine. The Syphon funding is part of $310 million in WaterSMART Water Recycling and Reuse grants announced as part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“It will take all of us, working together, to address the significant drought conditions and historically low water allocations we face,” Haaland said, praising the Syphon Reservoir project, which is scheduled to be completed in 2028. “Recycled water projects like this provide flexibility for communities and help them stretch their drinking water supplies — bolstering water resources and helping to provide clear, reliable drinking water to people throughout the U.S.”

Learn more

Syphon Reservoir Improvement Project video.

About Irvine Ranch Water District

Guided by the principles of customer service, employee development, resource management and community leadership, Irvine Ranch Water District provides high-quality drinking water, reliable sewage collection and treatment, drought-proof recycled water, and environmentally sound urban runoff treatment. Established in 1961 as an independent special district, IRWD serves a daytime population of 600,000 people in 181 square miles of central Orange County. Visit IRWD.com for more information.

IRWD has invested heavily in projects to create a diverse and reliable supply of water to serve our customers – and that’s never been more visible than now, when local commercial landscapes are staying green because they are irrigated with drought-proof recycled water.

Signs of this resilience are popping up throughout our service area: purple placards proudly identifying properties irrigated with recycled water, which is delivered in pipeline of the same color.

The state recently banned the use of drinking water to irrigate nonfunctional turf grass at commercial, industrial, and institutional properties throughout California. The good news is almost all public and commercial landscape in our service area is irrigated with recycled water. (The ban does not apply to lawns on residential property or turf used for human recreation.)

Because of our resilience, IRWD’s water supply is in good shape – and our communities remain green and beautiful – but we still urge everyone to use water wisely.

For water-saving tips and information about the drought, visit IRWD.com/drought.

Commercial customers can request a recycled water sign for their property here.

Are you looking for ways to save water to help with California’s statewide drought?

Start by looking at your water bill.

IRWD uses a budget-based rate structure — which provides enough water for your indoor and outdoor needs, gives you control to save money, and ensures revenue stability for the water district.

We want you to know that your water supply here is in good shape, and IRWD is well-positioned to weather drought conditions like these for several years. But using water wisely has always been a goal at IRWD. Since the 1990s, we have been increasingly focused on programs to help our customers do just that — which is why average customer water use has been cut nearly in half since 1990.

Today, IRWD’s Water Efficiency team includes people specializing in drought-tolerant landscaping, leak detection, residential and business water use audits, educational workshops, and rebates. And our website offers you tools to help with all that.

Our budget-based rate structure — designed to provide customers with a significant economic incentive to use reasonable amounts of water — is an important tool in that toolbox.

The structure includes variable charges based on the amount of water each customer uses. To encourage wise water use, each household is assigned a monthly water-usage budget. Customers who stay within their budget are rewarded with low water bills. Customers who exceed their budget buy water in two steeply ascending upper tiers, resulting in higher water bills.

Simply put: Use more water and your bill goes up. Use less and it goes down.

You can track your progress on the “Monthly Water Budget vs. Usage” chart that appears on your bill each month.

To ensure revenue stability, IRWD also assesses monthly fixed charges based on the size of the customer’s water meter.  Those fixed charges provide adequate funding for all IRWD operating costs other than the water itself — such as operating and maintaining IRWD’s water distribution infrastructure, pipes, treatment plants, and sewers.

Therefore, IRWD maintains a stable and adequate operating budget — regardless of the amount of water sold.

Learn more

• For details on IRWD’s rate structure and a straight-forward explanation of how it works, see our Resource Guide to Water Efficiency.
• The Resource Guide also explains how to find water leaks, read your meter, track your water usage through our WaterInsight Program, and apply for residential or commercial rebates that can help pay to make your home or business more water efficient.
• IRWD is prepared with a Water Shortage Contingency Plan and in September, 2022, implemented Level 2 response actions to affirm our customers’ ongoing commitment to saving water and heighten the call for efficiency. Read the complete plan here.
• To keep up to date on IRWD’s drought readiness and for more tips on how to save water, visit IRWD.com/drought.

Dams provide many benefits to communities around the nation, including water storage, electrical power, flood control, and recreational and economic opportunities. But they also carry some risk: requiring strict and rigid guidelines for their design, construction, maintenance and operation to ensure their safety.

For more than 60 years, Irvine Ranch Water District has safely owned, operated and maintained dams and reservoirs, with current locations at Irvine Lake, Rattlesnake, San Joaquin, Sand Canyon and Syphon reservoirs.

Our dams and reservoirs are designed for safety, and they are routinely monitored and inspected by the California Department of Water Resources Division of Safety of Dams. IRWD has also retained a review team of engineers and dam safety experts who have been nationally recognized as some of the best in the field to provide their expertise as needed.

In observance of National Dam Safety Awareness Day on May 31, we’d like to highlight some of the steps involved in IRWD’s Dam Safety Program, which exceeds state and national standards.

Designed for safety

Earthen embankment dams, like ours, are proven to be resilient in earthquakes. Made of compacted earth, they are proven to be resilient and self-healing in earthquakes, and they have a strong record of safety.

Regulation and oversight

Our dams are regulated by the California Department of Water Resources Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD) and are inspected at least once a year. In addition to these annual inspections, IRWD routinely monitors and inspects its dams.

Emergency Action Plans

Our commitment to the community includes developing and maintaining an Emergency Action Plan for each of our dams to identify potential emergency conditions, and preplanned actions to ensure safety.

Self-contained for safety

Most of IRWD’s reservoirs receive very little or no water from rivers or streams. That means we can control the flow of water in and out — like filling or draining your bathtub.

Going above and beyond

To ensure we’re going above and beyond for safety, IRWD retains a review team of engineers and dam safety experts who have been nationally recognized as some of the best in the field.

Our staff inspects all five dams daily, and caretakers are stationed locally to each dam for rapid response.

Finally, the DSOD provides a safety rating for each of IRWD’s dams based on several factors including the height of the dam and the storage capacity of the reservoir, and has concluded that all IRWD dams are safe for continued use. To learn more about DSOD’s safety ratings for each of IRWD’s five dams, please view our ratings chart here.

Click here for more details about our Dam Safety Program.