Drought: Irvine Company leads in water conservation efforts
The Irvine Company is doing its part to conserve water during the state’s historic drought.
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- 2,246: Number of Apartment Units Retrofitted
- 28%: Newport Beach’s Water Reduction Goal
- 50%: Cut in Interior Water Use
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Irvine Company Water-Conservation Initiative To Reduce Interior Water Usage By Half In Six Newport Beach Apartment Communities
2,246 units will be retrofitted with water-efficient toilets and shower heads by next month
46 million gallons of water expected to be saved annually
$800,000 project will help City of Newport Beach meet its water-reduction goal of 28%
The Irvine Company has begun installing new low-flow toilets and shower heads in its six older apartment communities here, a project that will reduce annual resident water consumption by at least 46 million gallons.
The retrofit in 2,246 units will cut by about half the total interior water use at the combined communities of Mariner Square, Newport North, Baywood, Bayview, Baypoint and Promontory Point. This initiative is scheduled to be completed by next month and cost $880,000.
The installation of 3,096 toilets and similar number of shower heads will help the City of Newport Beach meet its state-mandated water-reduction goal of 28%.
This initiative is the product of a comprehensive assessment underway by a task force of in-house, company water experts charged with finding the most promising water conservation approaches at the Irvine Company’s office, retail, resort, home and apartment communities.
The company’s newer Newport Beach properties already feature the latest state-of-the-art water delivery systems, which make large cuts in water use there more difficult to achieve.
“This will create some disruption for our tenants, but we believe they, too, want to be part of the community’s determined response to the drought emergency and help the City of Newport Beach toward its water reduction goal,” said Fred Alson of the Irvine Company’s Water Conservation Task Force. “The initial reaction of affected tenants has been positive knowing that the water reduction levels are huge, permanent, and recurring.”
The company’s apartment company will replace 3,096 3.5-gallon flush toilets with 1.28-gallon toilets, and 2.50-gallon-per-minute shower heads with 1.5-gallon-per-minute shower heads.
“Much of the public’s attention in the current drought has been on highly visible outside water uses. But significant water savings can be achieved by simply changing out older toilets and shower heads with water-efficient models,” said George Murdoch, utilities director for the City of Newport Beach. “The City of Newport Beach appreciates the Irvine Company reacting so quickly to the drought emergency with this initiative. It’s going to take a community effort for us to reach our water reduction goal of 28%.”
The company’s task force is working on other initiatives, including installing additional high-tech irrigation systems, changing to more drought-tolerant landscaping, bringing a reclaimed waterline to Newport Center for the landscaping, testing additives to fountains (which already recirculate water) that will significantly cut evaporation, and other measures.
Further steps to reduce water consumption at the company’s Newport Beach properties will be announced as they are implemented. For more information on the Irvine Company’s water conservation efforts, visit www.goodplanning.org.
