Brown lawns are beautiful, water district tells customers

The Irvine Ranch Water District is asking its customers to let their grass go brown as one of several suggestions to save water amid California’s ongoing drought..

The district, which serves 370,000 residents in Irvine, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Tustin, Lake Forest and Orange, sent a letter urging customers to decrease their outdoor water use, partly in response to Gov. Jerry Brown’s April 1 order for cities and water districts to attain a 25% reduction in urban water use statewide.

The Irvine Ranch district was given a 16% reduction target by the State Water Resources Control Board.

“This means we must use 16% less potable — or drinking — water from July 2015 through February 2016 than we used from July 2013 through February 2014,” according to the district’s website.

In addition to letting lawns go thirsty, the district wants customers to cut their outdoor watering in half by doing the following:

• Water only when necessary.

• Water before 8 a.m.

Get rid of grass and qualify for a turf-removal rebate of $2 per square foot of grass removed (minimum of 250 square feet).

• Use drought-resistant plants suited for California’s mild winters and warm, dry summers.

• Learn how to schedule your sprinkler timer to keep your plants hydrated while using the least amount of water. Visit the district’s Control Your Controller page (https://www.irwd.com/save-water-money/control-your-controller.

• Use water-saving spray nozzles. A $4-per-nozzle rebate is available.

• Fix water leaks.

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

The district says it has been working with operators of grassy areas such as parks, medians and golf courses to try to ensure that 90% of the water used there is recycled.

Newport Beach Golf Course manager Barry Kaabe said he hasn’t been asked to let his greens go brown.

“We’re doing a lot more hand watering than we do with the sprinklers though,” Kaabe said. “We’re worried about what people think.”

Kaabe said the club uses a well for its water and barely uses water from outside.

The Irvine Ranch district said each customer will receive a custom monthly water target based on cost of service and factors such as the number of people in a household and the size of the landscaped area.

The district also plans to increase rates with the fiscal year beginning July 1, largely because of higher operating and maintenance expenses, an increase in electricity costs for pumping and treating water, higher charges for purchases of imported water and increased costs for pumping local groundwater.

The district also hopes the new rates may encourage customers to limit outdoor watering and replace their grass with more water-thrifty landscaping.

The planned residential rates are:

“Low volume” tier:

• Current rate: 88 cents per centum cubic foot, or 748 gallons, of water

• Proposed rate: $1.11 per ccf

“Base rate” tier:

• Current rate: $1.34 per ccf

• Proposed rate: $1.62 per ccf

“Inefficient” tier:

• Current rate: $3.91 per ccf

• Proposed rate (Step 1): $3.92 per ccf

• Proposed rate (Step 2): $9.30 per ccf (Step 2 would start Oct. 1 if mandated reductions aren’t met.)

“Wasteful” tier:

• Current rate: $12.60 per ccf

• Proposed rate (Step 1): $14.53 per ccf

• Proposed rate (Step 2): $19.92 per ccf

The district board of directors will hold a public hearing on the rates beginning at 5 p.m. Monday at 15600 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine.