IRWD awards

Irvine Ranch Water District’s Natural Treatment System is a cost-effective, environmentally sound method for treating dry weather runoff. It is modeled after the successful system of natural treatment ponds which remove nitrogen, phosphorus and bacteria from surface waters entering the IRWD San Joaquin Marsh. Orange County Coastkeeper in 2002 honored the District for helping to keep local waterways, wetlands and the ocean clean by removing these contaminants at our NTS sites farther upstream.

IRWD’s Irvine Desalter Project in 2005 received the Integrated Project Award of the Year from the Santa Ana Watershed Protection Agency. The Irvine Desalter Project consists of five wells located near the I-5 Freeway in Irvine.   Salty water is pumped from these wells and sent to the IDP treatment facility. The treatment process uses reverse osmosis, decarbonation and disinfection to make the water suitable for drinking purposes.  The purified water provides 5,100 acre feet or 1.6 billion gallons of drinking water, enough for 50,000 people, per year.

IRWD’s Wells 21 and 22 Rehabilitation, Pipelines and Water Treatment project in 2013 was honored by the American Society of Engineers Orange County Branch and the Orange County Engineering Council. The project recovers and treats local impaired groundwater for use in the District’s drinking water system. Adding this new source of water (approximately 6,300 acre-feet per year) provides a sustainable infrastructure with long-term benefits.

As part of its diversified water portfolio, IRWD uses water banking Water Banking to augment imported water reliability and safeguard IRWD customers from imported water shortages. The District’s Strand Ranch Integrated Water Banking Project in 2014 was honored by the Association of California Water Agencies with the organization’s prestigious Clair Hill Award. The water bank is an important part of IRWD’s commitment to provide the water our customers need during critical shortage conditions while maintaining reasonable rates.

The WateReuse Association honored the District and Hyatt House Irvine with its national Excellence in Action award for being the first fully dual-plumbed hotel in California (and perhaps in the nation). The seven-story building, with 149 extended-stay guestrooms, also saves water with high-efficiency fixtures, a water-conscious laundry program and recycled water for irrigation.

IRWD’s “See it From Your Lawn’s Perspective” water efficiency campaign received several awards for innovation and effectiveness, including the national PRSA Silver Anvil Award for Community Outreach. The campaign resulted in measurable water savings by customers.

For the fourth straight year, global data analytics company J.D. Power has awarded Irvine Ranch Water District its top honor for Customer Satisfaction.

Customers surveyed independently by J.D. Power rated IRWD the best midsize water utility in the Western United States. Nationwide, only eight water agencies earn that top honor, and IRWD received the highest customer reviews of any water agency in the nation.

“Our customers have high expectations of Irvine Ranch Water District, and this recognition reflects our commitment to exceeding our customers’ expectations,” IRWD General Manager Paul A. Cook said.

Contributing to the overall first-place finish, the customer survey ranked IRWD No. 1 in seven of eight categories: Quality/Reliability, Ease of Doing Business, People, Trust, Resolving Problems, Information Provided, and Digital Channels.

“That means a lot to us,” Cook said, “and it all starts with the people of IRWD. Every day we strive to deliver top-notch service to our customers, starting with ensuring that the safety and quality of our water is second to none. Keeping our customers well-informed is a big part of that too.”

IRWD is the only agency in the nation with four straight top awards.

According to J.D. Power’s May 7, 2025, news release, the U.S. Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study measures satisfaction among residential customers of 91 utilities that deliver water to populations of at least 400,000. Results are reported for eight geographic regions in two size categories: Midwest Large; Midwest Midsize; Northeast Large; Northeast Midsize; South Large; South Midsize; West Large; and West Midsize. Overall satisfaction is measured by examining eight core dimensions on a 6-point rating scale. Individual dimensions measured are (in order of importance): information provided; level of trust; quality and reliability; ease of doing business; total monthly costs; people; resolving problems or complaints; and digital channels.

Irvine Ranch Water District provides high-quality drinking water, reliable sewage collection and treatment, drought-proof recycled water, and environmentally sound urban runoff treatment to 445,000 residential customers. IRWD serves all of Irvine, most of Lake Forest, and parts of Newport Beach, Orange, Costa Mesa, Tustin, and unincorporated areas of Orange County.

When compared with agencies providing similar services in Orange County, IRWD’s rates are consistently among the lowest.