A Word on Water

Irrigation Management - Audits Are A Great First Step

  

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An irrigation audit is very useful exercise in assessing the state of an irrigation system.  From it some objective data can be found to measure how efficient the system is applying water. 

Yet an irrigation audit is actually one in several steps to take so that an existing irrigation system can be improved - improved so that less water is used for irrigation while also improving the health of the landscape.

Prioritize: If more than one irrigation system is under consideration for an irrigation audit, it is important to prioritize irrigation audits.  This is done by comparing the volume of water used at each site relative to the size of each site. Sites with the largest excess water use are likely to offer the largest chance to save water.

This can be a subjective call if the sites under consideration are not obviously different in terms of size or detail.  It would be ideal if each landscape can be audited even if they are done over an extended period of time.

Inspect and Tune-Up: This step includes a number of actions.  Adjust sprinkler heads so that the water's spray pattern is not too low nor too high.  Adjust sprinkler heads located next to sidewalks or buildings to lessen overspray.  Adjust water pressure as needed to match manufacturer's specifications for sprinkler heads and relative spacing.

Perform Irrigation Audit: After the tune-up, an irrigation audit can reveal other issues that are not so obvious.  If these types of issues are addressed, another irrigation audit should be done to confirm that any previous deficiencies are not longer present.

If the irrigation audit reveals that the system is adequate, then there is the matter of proper irrigation scheduling.  While an irrigation audit includes a process to create irrigation schedules, they are potentially limited in their effectiveness due to the type of irrigation controllers on site. 

The best water saving schedules are those that are based on weather conditions and can be adjusted, when deemed necessary, from a central location.  Controllers that are not affected by changing weather conditions will invariably overwater to a significant degree. 

Then there are controllers that do change with the weather, but cannot be communicated with remotely, such as through a telephone line, wireless modem or Ethernet connection.  These types may indeed run water in accordance with the weather, but that crucial bit of fine tuning won't be done without that remote connectivity.  The result is overwatering that will gone on year after year.

Irrigation audits are an important first step in assessing the efficiency of a newly installed irrigation system.  Long term water savings, however, will ultimately be determined by the type of irrigation controllers in place and how they are managed on an ongoing basis.