Cooking grease poured down the drain that is associated with the preparation of holiday turkeys, roasts and hams is the leading cause of sewage spills this time of year.

Over time, the grease sticks to the sewer pipes, building up and eventually clogging the entire pipe, resulting in costly cleanups and repairs.

Here are tips for getting rid of left over cooking grease:

• Place left over grease into containers with lids, such as jars, and place into a trash receptacle for pick up on trash day.
  • Mix oils with absorbent materials, such as coffee grounds, put in a lidded container and dispose with the trash.
  • If cleaning a greasy pan, pour grease into a container and wipe excess grease from the pan with paper towels. Place the towels into the trash.
  • If using a deep fat fryer, mix oils with absorbent material, such as cat litter, or soak up excess oil with newspaper and put into the trash.

For more information about the FOG program, please visit our website.

During the month of October, IRWD customers used nearly 24 percent less water compared to October 2013. The District's five-month running water conservation total now stands at 17.8 percent, which is above the 16 percent total that was mandated for the District earlier this year by the California State Water Resources Control Board. 

IRWD customers have saved 1.8 billion gallons of water since June 1st, putting IRWD 71 percent of the way toward reaching the overall water reduction goal, which must be met by February 29, 2016. Four months remain until the deadline for the District and its customers to achieve total water savings of nearly 2.5 billion gallons. 

While El Niño is looking very likely this winter, its impact will not undo four consecutive years of a statewide, historic drought. IRWD is encouraging its customers to take advantage of the potentially wet weather by doing the following things:

• Give your sprinklers a winter break - Turn off your sprinklers and let Mother Nature take over during the cooler, wetter months. At a minimum, sprinklers should be left off ahead of, during and for two days after any rainstorm.
• Purchase one or more rain barrels - Put the rain falling on your property to good use, even days after any storms have passed. Rebates of $75 per barrel are available (Maximum of 4 rebates).
• Install a drought-tolerant landscape - Late Fall and Winter are optimal for planting. IRWD pays customers $2 per square foot for customers to replace their grass lawns with drought friendly gardens.
• Purchase a Weather-Based Irrigation Controller - These smart controllers automatically adjust your sprinkler run times to match changing climate conditions and turn off your sprinklers ahead of and during any rain events. Rebates of up to $80 per controller are available for residents with less than one-acre of landscape.

For more information, please visit the IRWD El Niño page. To find out which rebates IRWD offers to its customers, go to rightscapenow.com/rebates.

Nearly 700 IRWD customers participated in the first ever IRWD Landscape Makeover Contest. Three customers with the highest percentage reduction in water use were crowned as winners, while a fourth customer won a bonus prize for saving the most gallons of water overall.

Winners reduced their three-month water consumption by 66 to 80 percent compared to the same period last year. Each winner has been notified and will receive a new drought-tolerant landscape valued at up to $6,000. Thank you to all of the IRWD customers who participated in the contest. In total, more than nine million gallons of water was saved!

What are some of the actions the winners took to cut back on water use at their homes?

• Reduced outdoor water use
• Let grass go brown
• Cut outdoor watering to once per week
• Fixed leaks
• Took shorter showers
• Used sink and shower water for irrigation
• Flushed toilets less often
• Ran full loads of laundry
• Used shower water to flush toilets
• Relocated plants to be in groups with similar watering needs

IRWD will document the progress of each winner's landscape makeover project and post all of the best photos and other information online at rightscapenow.com.

Irvine Ranch Water District continues to offer customers a turf removal rebate of $2 per sq. ft. of grass removed. Check our website for turf rebate application information.

Want to replace your thirsty lawn with drought-tolerant landscaping, but don’t know how to start?

• Attend one of our RightScape Gardening workshops. Sign up on our website.
• Visit RightScapeResources.com to get landscape ideas, including choosing plants for your yard by color, sun needs, size and more!
• Take a self-guided tour of our Drought Tolerant Demonstration Garden at 15600 Sand Canyon Ave. in Irvine, open from dawn until dusk, 365 days of the year.

Your plants need less water in the fall, despite the occasional hot day. The days are shorter and evaporation is decreasing.

Take advantage of the IRWD Recycled Water Filling Station and receive free recycled water for your residential landscape needs. Full details and hours are posted on our website.

Switch to drip irrigation. Your outdoor monthly water allocation is now based on drought-tolerant landscape irrigated with an efficient irrigation system, such as drip. It is no longer based on warm season turf. If you have a lawn and maintain a weekly watering schedule with a sprinkler irrigation system, you will likely be over your allocation and your water bill could rise.

Visit our website for the current watering schedule. Begin with this schedule and adjust the times only if your plants show signs of stress.