IRVINE : Water District Gives Donation to Schools

The Irvine Ranch Water District is donating more than $15,000 in cash and computer equipment to the city’s schools.

The donation includes a $8,475 grant that will go to buy science equipment for high schools in the Irvine Unified School District.

The grant was the byproduct of a joint effort by local schools and the water district to encourage residents to use “low-flow” toilets that conserve water. Teachers and students helped the water district promote and administer a toilet trade-in program, in which residents exchanged their old toilets for low-flow models, said Joyce Wegner-Gwidt, spokeswoman for the water district.

The water district also plans to donate $7,125 in computer equipment, including keyboards and monitors. The equipment is likely to be used by the school district for a networking system.

Wegner-Gwidt said the water district is buying advanced computers and did not need the old ones.

“They are outdated on the market and have little real resale value,” she said.