Tesoro Del Valle Home Owners Association
23721 Stoney Creek Drive
Santa Clarita, CA 91354
Attention: Mr. John Evans – HOA Board President
Dear Mr. Evans,
As we are concluding our work at the Tesoro Del Valley HOA landscape irrigation system, we summarize
what we have done, describing the process and accomplishments.
The Tesoro Del Valle master planned community for years was the highest water users among the
costumers of Newhall County Water District. Water consumption was close to 50 % over water budget
year around.
Our stated goal was to reduce water consumption to water budget levels. In order to achieve that goal,
we suggested measures detailed in our summary that would accomplish that.
During the next three years, we implemented these measures and reduced water consumption by 43%.
Since the cost of the efficiency improvements was close to a water saved in a year, the return on
investment was approximately a year.
Measures implemented were just in time for the drought emergency declared by the governor, which
required Newhall County water district to reduce water consumption by 36%.
We successfully concluded this project, and we thank you for your cooperation and for the opportunity
to work on this project.
WATER MANAGEMENT GROUP, INC.
GEZA KISCH – PRINCIPAL
Water Savings Program for the Tesoro Del Valle
Homeowners Association, in Santa Clarita, California
Prepared for: Tesoro Del Valle Home Owners Association
23721 Stoney Creek Drive
Santa Clarita, CA 91354
Prepared by:
Water Management Group, Inc.
2200 Business Way
Suite 100
Riverside, Ca 92501
Office: 951-236-1307
Fax: 951-788-8538
www.watermanagementgroup.net
Tesoro Del Valle HOA Landscape Irrigation Efficiency Improvement
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROJECT DESCRIPTION, PROJECT GOALS ................................................................................................. 2
IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEMS ......................................................................................................... 3
SOLUTIONS AND DESCRIPTION OF CONCEPTS THAT WERE APPLIED ....................................................... 6
1. IMPROVING WATER DISTRIBUTION EFFICIENCY TO THE MINIMUM STATE STANDARD OF 75% .... 6
2. MAP/GRAPHIC DATABASE-DRIVEN “VISUAL CONTROL PLATFORM” .............................................. 7
3. CENTRALIZING “STAND-ALONE” CONTROLLERS THROUGH THE CLOUD ........................................ 7
SCOPE OF SERVICES .................................................................................................................................. 8
I. PROJECT 1.: TESORO DEL VALLE HOA ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8
1. ORGANIZING PROJECT ..................................................................................................................... 8
2. IMPROVING WATER DISTRIBUTION EFFICIENCY ............................................................................ 10
3. CENTRALIZING “STAND-ALONE” CONTROLLERS THROUGH THE CLOUD ...................................... 13
4. DESCRIPTION OF SELECTED CONTROL SYSTEM ............................................................................. 14
5. PREPARE HYDROZONE MAP …………………………………………………………………………………………………..…. 16
6. SET UP iPad OPERATION ………………………………………………………………………….……………………………….. 16
7. PREPARE AND LOAD UP OPERATIONAL MAPS AND PROGRAM CONTROLLERS …………..…………….. 16
8. OPEATE THE SYSTEM FOR APPROXIMATELY 6 MONTHS …………………………………………………………… 16
II. PROJECT 2: NEW TEOSORO SPORTS PARK
1. REVIEWING OF IRRIGATION DESIGN .............................................................................................. 17
2. PREPARING HYDROZONE MAP ...................................................................................................... 18
3. ANALYZING WATER DISTRIBUTION EFFICIENCY ............................................................................. 19
4. GPS LOCATING OF IRRIGATION HEADS ON THE FIELD ................................................................... 20
5. REPARING OPERATIONAL MAPS .................................................................................................... 21
6. PROGRAMMING VISUAL CONTROL PLATFORM .............................................................................. 21
CONCLUSIONS OF RESULTS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WATER DISTRIBUTION ANALYSIS AND
INTEGRATED WATER MANAGEMENT PROCESS ...................................................................................... 23
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Tesoro Del Valle HOA Landscape Irrigation Efficiency Improvement
PROJECT DESCRIPTION, PROJECT GOALS
The Tesoro Del Valle Master Planned community is located just west of the Santa Clarita water shed and
north of Copper Hill Road on approximately 800 acres. Out of that, a total of 92 acres are irrigated
consisting of manufactured slopes, landscaped recreational facilities, streetscapes, and a sports park
which was recently developed.
The plant material is a combination of drought tolerant acacias on manufactured slopes, an assortment
of ornamental shrubs, decorative annuals, and functional and non-functional passive turf areas.
The landscape areas are divided into 55 individual serving areas, this irrigated area is served by one
water meter, and each area is controlled by a single stand-alone controller.
Exhibit 1. Below is an aerial view of the community indicating the various serving areas. The
various colors delineate the serving areas.
Initially, the 55 individual serving areas were divided into HOA-maintained and LA county-maintained
areas, which later were combined into a single HOA-maintained irrigation system.
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Tesoro Del Valle HOA Landscape Irrigation Efficiency Improvement
The Tesoro Del Valle master planned community for years was the highest water user among the
costumers of the Newhall County Water District. Water consumption was more than 50% over the
annual water budget.
The irrigation system was over watered by approximately 50% of the water budget.
Our goal at Water Management Group (WMG) was to reduce water consumption to or below the water
budget level, to enable the irrigation system to control water consumption, and to prepare the project
for eventual drought conditions so that it could operate without changes to the landscape thus
preserving the esthetic character of the project.
During the next three years, WMG implemented these measures and reduced water consumption by
43%. Since the cost of the efficiency improvements was close to the cost of water saved in a year, the
return on investment was approximately a year.
The following sections describe the approach to the project, the measures and actions taken, and the
results achieved.
IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEMS
During the project-wide survey of the irrigation system, WMG uncovered a number of problem areas.
The existing irrigation system was analyzed in terms of design, installation, and operation. WMG found
the following problems that needed improvement:
Organizational problems:
1. No project as-built documentation or inventory of the irrigation equipment was found. Paper or
electronic design were used for as-built instead. Discrepancies between design and installation
throughout the project were also found.
2. Mixed design / installation conditions (e.g., turf and shrubs, exposure, etc.) were connected to
the same valve.
3. No construction installation standards, details, or manuals were found; these describe the
components and expected quality of the replacement of malfunctioning equipment.
4. There was no system assessment process or reporting mechanism installed or implemented.
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Tesoro Del Valle HOA Landscape Irrigation Efficiency Improvement
Hydraulic problems:
5. Some systems were manually irrigated instead of using the installed control system.
6. Low water distribution efficiency and dry and wet spots in most systems.
On slopes, irrigation heads were laid out as if it were on flat surface.
Exhibit 2. is sample analysis of Tesoro Park depicting low water distribution efficiency
In flat areas, head layout was inefficient on large turf areas resulting in major dry/wet spots.
Rotor heads were not adjusted to optimal throws.
7. Broken pipes: there were broken pressurized main lines as well as lateral lines.
8. Broken heads, missing heads, missing risers, clogged nozzles, mixed heads and nozzles were
found.
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Tesoro Del Valle HOA Landscape Irrigation Efficiency Improvement
Exhibit 3 and 4. Illustrates some of our findings during the initial site survey
9. Broken master and remote control valves – some of the master valves did not open or had no
connection to power supply.
10. Flow sensors were not connected to power source and not connected to the system.
Controller problems
11. Since the project was controlled by stand-alone controllers the schedules were infrequently or
never adjusted.
12. Short circuits on wire runs.
13. Missing power supply.
Management problems
14. No written equipment maintenance schedule had been developed.
15. No maintenance manuals were available.
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SOLUTIONS AND DESCRIPTION OF CONCEPTS THAT WERE APPLIED
In order to achieve maximum water savings, WMG focused around three area concepts:
1. Improving water distribution efficiency to the minimum state standard of 75%
2. Adopt a map/graphic database-driven “visual control platform”
3. Centralizing “stand-alone” controllers through the cloud
1. IMPROVING WATER DISTRIBUTION EFFICIENCY TO THE MINIMUM STATE STANDARD OF 75%
In order to achieve higher water distribution efficiency WMG:
- analyzed the water distribution of the existing heads at selected locations
- suggested replacing all nozzles to more efficient Toro precision nozzles with higher tested
efficiency and lower precipitation rate.
In the past, water conservation efforts focused on daily Et0 adjustment and the installation of
sensors (e.g., rain, flow, and pressure).
One of the last remaining areas with significant water conservation potential is the water
distribution efficiency improvement.
Millions of acre-feet of water are wasted on existing landscapes across the country. The water
distribution efficiency of existing irrigation systems can be improved 20 to 30% on average.
In case of newly designed systems, this waste of water is being built into designs because the
efficiency of new designs could not be validated, and these systems are being approved and
built daily. Through WMG’s technology, this validation can now be done.
WMG’s water technology analyzes water distribution efficiency and allows projects to meet or
exceed the California state minimum standard of 75%. Modelling of water distribution
efficiency allows WMG to maximize water distribution efficiency, which conventional design
methods cannot attain.
Design verification of water distribution efficiency also eliminates the need for a physical water
audit, which is performed after the installation of the irrigation system when the correction is
very costly or not even possible.
Conventional water audits are problematic in that field conditions are unrepeatable and that a
typical sampling of 2% to 10% incorrectly assumes the sample area is representative of the
remaining 90+%. Water distribution modelling technology can accurately model a real-life
irrigation system under various conditions, such as pressure and various nozzle configurations,
with a resolution of one square foot.
The modeling technology accurately predicts water consumptions and serves as a basis of
programming the irrigation schedule.
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All nozzles were replaced taking advantage of the available rebates.
2. MAP/GRAPHIC DATABASE-DRIVEN “VISUAL CONTROL PLATFORM”
A graphic map and database-driven “Visual Control Platform” makes controller operation very
simple. Visual water management allows the operator to stand next to a valve and, by looking
at a map showing the identical area, the operator can document the location of any problems.
Various maps were used which contain water management factors, such as plant map, soil map,
condition map, hydrozone map, exposure, and serving area, etc. The various maps vertically
integrate the water management process. The interactive maps automatically calculate the
irrigation schedule individual controllers do not have to be programmed.
The visual nature of operation helps to increase the more frequent adjustment of controllers.
3. CENTRALIZING “STAND-ALONE” CONTROLLERS THROUGH THE CLOUD
Another area of improvement that can yield large water savings is increasing the adjustment of
“stand alone” controllers.
Due to a combination of the lack of knowledge and the high cost of adjustments, “stand alone”
controllers are infrequently adjusted, on average 2 to 3 times a year. By increasing the
frequency of adjustments, a lot of water can be saved on an average irrigation system. Over
watering is one of the most frequently cited causes of water waste.
Cloud technology allows WMG to “centralize” even a single controller without the expense of a
central software. Cloud-based systems can adjust large number of controllers automatically or
manually with a few clicks from an iPad or other devices. Daily adjustment of controllers
reduces water consumption by 20 to 40% on average.
WMG presented to the board and the HOA management committee a multi-faceted
comprehensive approach addressing the various general and specific problems described above.
WMG prepared a detailed plan of attack with itemized costs. Some of the items recommended
were discussed but not implemented (e.g., pressure sensing, replacement of flow sensors with
master valves with flow meters, water distribution analysis for all areas, etc.)
The decision to omit some of the items from recommendations were based on available
budget. HOA did not have the funds to proceed fully with the program.
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SCOPE OF SERVICES
Our scope of work included two separate projects:
I.
The existing landscape irrigation system of the Tesoro Community Home Owners Association
and LA County irrigated areas
II. Tesoro Sports park, a new sports complex for the community
The Tesoro Sports Park a new project, was first rejected because the state-wide drought
conditions did not allow for additional water consumption of a conventional irrigation system. It
required several iterations of design changes and adjustments in water consumption projections
to approve the project.
Based on the concepts described above WMG delineated a set of goals for the project.
The following is a brief summary of the scope of work WMG had been contracted to perform.
I.
Project 1: Tesoro Home Owners Association irrigated areas and LA County areas
1.0 Organizing project
1.1 Researched local climatic factors Et0 and rainfall as well as CIMIS historical data
1.2 Survey the irrigation system of all serving areas
- WMG identified where mixed design and installation conditions (e.g., turf and shrubs,
exposures, etc.) were connected to the same valve.
- WMG inspected all serving areas valve by valve and prepared a list of broken or
malfunctioning equipment (e.g., heads, valves, pipes, controllers).
The findings were incrementally given to the maintenance contractor for repair.
1.3 Collect data, GPS all irrigation equipment, and prepare electronic operational maps
GPS all equipment, collect data of irrigation equipment and process data into a database.
Exhibit 5. Showing the methodology utilized to GPS all equipment and collect
equipment data
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Tesoro Del Valle HOA Landscape Irrigation Efficiency Improvement
1.4 Collect and analyze water bills and water consumption for each water meter / serving area
WMG obtained historical water use data from Newhall County Water District (NCWD). The data
indicated 2 to 3 times over use (of calculated water budget) for the various serving areas. The
project was on the top of the worst user list of NCWD requiring them to take immediate action.
The project was in the higher water price tier.
1.5 Prepare overall master serving area plan
As part of the project organizational effort, WMG prepared a serving area plan of the project.
The Serving area plan showed all serving areas (i.e., an area served by a water meter and
controlled by a single stand-alone controller), the associated water meter number, and the
billing account number. The serving area plan also serves as an operational layer or location
map loaded into each serving area data set.
Exhibit 6. Indicates a project wide serving area definition. previously shown in Exhibit 1 enlarged
1.6 Set up system assessment process, replacement and reporting mechanisms, and
interviewed maintenance staff
WMG conducted extensive interviews with Oakridge Landscape - the maintenance company
maintaining landscape and landscape irrigation. WMG found that:
1. Irrigation controllers were adjusted infrequently if at all.
2. The program residing in the controller was not calculated. The program was simply guessed
or approximated.
3. There was no regular review conducted of irrigation system conditions, such as yearly, biyearly, or quarterly.
4. There was no design / maintenance guideline or standard in place to guide pricing and
installation standards. When implemented, maintenance practices and standards will
determine tasks.
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Tesoro Del Valle HOA Landscape Irrigation Efficiency Improvement
1.7 Prepare construction installation standards, details and Installation and Maintenance
Manual
This manual describes the components and expected quality of the replacement of
malfunctioning equipment; none was found. The HOA did not have standards and procedures in
place; replacements of broken equipment did not follow any standards. The HOA selected to
postpone this aspect of quality control until project was completed and established.
2.0 Improving water distribution efficiency
2.1 Replace existing nozzles, both spray and rotor type
WMG suggested to use MWD approved high-efficiency nozzles, such as Toro Precision nozzles
for spray and Hunter PGP’s for rotor heads to increase efficiency.
Exhibit 7. Pictures the type of nozzles
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Tesoro Del Valle HOA Landscape Irrigation Efficiency Improvement
2.2 Analyze water distribution efficiency for park area
The main goal of analyzing irrigation distribution efficiency is to verify the actual water
distribution pattern and improve it to state standards of 75%.
Exhibit 8 and 9. Depicts the original state of the Tesoro Park as it was analyzed.
.
The entire baseball field was turf covered, which was later redesigned, to a “skinned” field.
First, all irrigation equipment was recorded with GPS and with that data water distribution was
analyzed. The various colors represent the pattern of water droplets. Red or yellow indicates
less than optimal. Blue is more water than optimal. Green is optimal water distribution.
Yellow is less than optimal but not as bad as red areas. Exhibit 9 shows inadequate water
distribution for the entire park. The valve by valve water distribution analysis found a 51%
project efficiency average. Some valves were as low as 46% efficiency.
Second, upon completion of the analysis, the park configuration was redesigned, turf at the
baseball area was eliminated, and a fence was erected between the outfield and the sloping
perimeter area.
Lastly, based on the initial analysis, irrigation heads for the remaining turf areas were
redesigned. The newly redesigned areas have an average of 69% water distribution efficiency,
just below state requirement. Especially odd shaped areas have maximum efficiency limitations,
and this was a renovation project, not a new design.
The center of the areas is above the 75%, but the peripheral areas bring the average down. The
weighted average put the project average just over the 75% California state standard.
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Exhibit 10 and 11. Indicates the revised, distribution efficiency of 75%
2.3 Prepare Demolition / Construction document for revised high-efficiency irrigation system
park area
A design / demolition plan was prepared indicating the new head locations as well as the length
of pipes needing to be added. Lateral lines were left in-tact; when a head was relocated the old
lateral was capped, and a new section was added between the lateral line and the new head
location. This allowed WMG to accomplish water distribution efficiency improvement for a
reasonable cost with a year or so return on investment.
Exhibit 12. Shows a sample design / demolition plan
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Tesoro Del Valle HOA Landscape Irrigation Efficiency Improvement
2.4 Observe and document water distribution efficiency correction / construction
Following the redesign of the head layout, WMG measured the GPS location of the irrigation
heads at the new locations. By doing that, WMG accurately duplicated (within 1”) the tested
water distribution efficiency on the field.
This allowed the controller to “know” an accurate (per square foot, valve by valve) water
distribution efficiency value.
2.5 Prepare controller selection and pricing comparison chart
The project was originally specified and installed with Rainbird ESP series stand-alone controllers
(i.e., 24 to 48 stations, installed approximately 10 years ago).
Calsense® controllers were installed on the areas originally temporarily maintained by the
county. Our task was to recommend a controller system solution that would centralize the
existing controllers into a unified system.
WMG set and discussed the criteria of selection with the maintenance company and the HOA
board. WMG interviewed various manufacturers of irrigation control systems.
It was stated that the most important features were the ones that the maintenance company
actually used. In addition to the basic functional items, such as scheduling or sequencing of
valves, the following criteria were considered in the selection of the controller system:
-
cost of control system
centralized control system
automatic scheduling
ease of use and smaller learning curve (i.e., map based not menu based)
minimal ongoing communication cost
accessible from anywhere
3.0 Centralizing “Stand Alone” Controllers through the Cloud
A large portion of the water wasted comes from infrequent adjustments or no adjustments at
all. Many advanced functions are not well understood or hardly used.
WMG prepared a controller comparison chart that identified critical features and cost. Our
approach was to select the controller best suited to the actual operation, not just based on the
latest advanced functions.
Maintenance practices and local culture will determine the utilization of the selected controller.
Highly utilized controllers regardless of features will save more water than controllers with
highly advanced features that are infrequently used.
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Tesoro Del Valle HOA Landscape Irrigation Efficiency Improvement
4.0 Description of Selected Control System
The board selected the Hydrosaver cloud-based system based on the following features and
qualities the system functions:
A. COST OF CONTROL SYSTEM
The summary table below compares the upfront and long-term operational costs of the
selected controllers. Controller manufacturers were interviewed by the HOA water
management committee. The final selection was also made by the committee.
Exhibit 13. Compares the upfront and long-term cost of the selected controllers
B. CENTRALIZE CONTROL SYSTEM
The frequency of adjustments of “stand-alone” controllers is low. The Central System
enables daily downloading of ET0 based irrigation schedules which cut water consumption
substantially. The system uses 3 servers which are directly connected to a 4G hot spot.
Users can go through the “cloud” to access to stand-alone controllers. A cost-free spreadspectrum radio communicates between the controllers and the server.
C. AUTOMATIC SCHEDULING
Et0 values are automatically adjusted; the scheduling of irrigation system does not require
programming and allows the operator to shift his attention from programming to the health
of the system (i.e., fixing broken or malfunctioning pipes, equipment etc.).
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D. EASE OF USE (i.e., map based not menu based)
The operator manually programs, run, or turns on valves from maps, standing front of the
valve area shown on map. The system functions are learned over time as needed.
E. MINIMAL ONGOING COMMUNICATION COST
A 4G access is required per server. The data package includes all servers; access price is not
set by the number of access points but by the total data transmitted.
F. ACCESSIBLE FROM ANYWHERE
Either internet or 4G access allows the controller to be accessible wherever there is signal.
The design database resides on the server. Interactive layers automatically calculate
operating parameters. Through the cloud, the design database runs the controller not the
stand-alone controller. The stand-alone controller serves only as a backup to operate in
case of system failure.
The design data established during the design process controls the controller. Once the
design data is inputted into an interactive GIS database, the controller can be accessed and
operated from an iPad.
G. VISUAL PROGRAMMING AND MAP BASED OPERATIONAL
Following obtaining GPS coordinates and the preparation of controller by controller, valve
by valve operational maps, the “visual control platform” was programmed and downloaded
into the individual stand-alone controllers.
Exhibit 14. Communication concept of the selected controller cloud-based Hydrosaver
Cloud-based Control
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Site information,
Records and System History,
Event logging, etc.
Tesoro Del Valle HOA Landscape Irrigation Efficiency Improvement
The site information data and design database manages the control system based on the water
distribution analysis. The server on which the design resides is connected by 4G
communication. Through the internet, various devices, such as iPhone, iPad, computer, etc.,
communicate to the site database on the server. The system can be fully operated from these
devices and can be used also as a “Universal remote control,” turning on valves at any location.
An iPad can access the server from anywhere. The Tesoro Del Valle HOA landscape utilized
three servers because of the varying terrain. The additional access points do not add additional
to communication cost because the system cost is incorporated into a single data package.
5.0 Prepare Hydrozone map, water budget and project water consumption
WMG prepared a hydrozone map that organizes water consumption categories into separate
conditions, which are valve’d separately. The hydrozone map is also the basis of establishing
the water budget.
In case of Tesoro Del Valle HOA, the landscape used 50% more than the projected water budget
due to factors of low water distribution efficiency, infrequent adjustment of controllers, and
incorrect or malfunctioning equipment.
6.0 Set up iPad operation
Once the servers were connected to 4G, iPads were set up to operate the system. Although the
system gives direct access to controllers from an iPad, it also allows easy monitoring of the
system, and manual operation of the system, as well as frequent adjustment as required.
7.0 Prepare and Load up operational maps and program controllers
All maps are loaded into the controller database
8.0 Operate the system for approximately 6 months
After a typical system set up, loading the database and setting up operational parameters, the
system is operated conjointly with the maintenance contractor and the project landscape
architect for the first 6 months of operation to make sure they feel comfortable with the system
and the learning curve has been reduced to reasonable levels.
Since water distribution efficiency is based specific heads and specific nozzles, it is critical to
establish replacement standards, both for the applied material, and the equipment and
methodology. It changes typical operation to a precise and disciplined one.
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Tesoro Del Valle HOA Landscape Irrigation Efficiency Improvement
II.
Project 2: New Tesoro Sports Park
The Tesoro Sports park was designed and developed following the completion of the HOA common
landscape areas. The plan called for four soccer fields and for the landscaping of adjacent
permanent and temporary slopes.
The project was declined at first because of state-wide water restriction. Even artificial turf was
considered as an alternative, but because of the cost and quality of playing surface, they abandoned
the concept and opted for real turf.
The project was resubmitted after the irrigation head layout was redesigned with a complete
analysis and projected water consumption.
Newhall County Water District finally approved the project, which subsequently was constructed
and now is in use. In the following, WMG will describe the process it went through to approve the
project.
1. Reviewing existing irrigation system design
A landscape architect designed the irrigation system, and WMG reviewed and analyzed water
distribution and made the necessary changes to bring up the water distribution efficiency to
over 71%, the state standard at that time. WMG sent the corrected head layout to the
landscape architect who prepared the final bid package.
Exhibit 15. The project planting plan superimposed over the topograhic base sheet.
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Tesoro Del Valle HOA Landscape Irrigation Efficiency Improvement
2. Preparing hydrozone map
A hydrozone map is the basis of determining water consumption. A hydrozone map organizes
water consumption categories into separate conditions, which are valved separately. The
Hydrozone map is also the basis of establishing water budget.
Exhibit 16. Tesoro Sports Park hydrozone map and projected water consumption calculation
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Tesoro Del Valle HOA Landscape Irrigation Efficiency Improvement
3. Analyzing water distribution efficiency
WMG found the water distribution efficiency just below 50%, so WMG suggested to revise and
improve the efficiency. The head layout was revised with a water distribution efficiency over
75%.
Exhibit 17. indicates water distribution efficiency before improvement and after the corrected
head layout. Green is efficient. Red, yellow and blue are inefficient.
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Exhibit 18 and 19. below, indicates water distribution efficiency before improvement and after
the corrected head layout.
4. GPS locating irrigation head on the field, duplicating a tested water efficiency.
The tested water distribution efficiency was duplicated by downloading the
x, y, z, coordinates of heads into a GPS machine and locate them accurately,
with 1 cm accuracy on the field.
Exhibit 20. shows GPS’d head locations
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Tesoro Del Valle HOA Landscape Irrigation Efficiency Improvement
The various color coded symbols indicate different heads and nozzles as it is installed on the
field based on the project legend.
5.
Preparing operational maps
The main feature of the visual control platform is a system of maps, which not only orients the
operator but allows him to manage water visually.
It has three sets of map layers:
- IMP or the overall “Irrigation Master Plan” level, indicating all serving area (see Exhibit 6, pg.
10)
- Serving area level, indicating all valve areas for a controller
- Valve level, which shows all heads within a valve area
This level was eliminated from the original proposal due to budget considerations, and
only the first two map layers were developed for this project.
Exhibit 21. depicting a portion of serving area 22A showing the various valve areas.
A typical serving area is covered by 3 to 5 maps depending on actual size.
The visual control platform is connected to maps so the system can be operated from the maps. See
Exhibit 20 and 21 above
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6. Programming Visual Control Platform
The Visual Control Platform (VCP) is the graphic interface between the project maps and the
project database. The data from the relevant areas are imputed through the VCP (i.e., climatic,
planting, soil, equipment, hydraulic, etc.) so that the various interactive layers can calculate
operating parameters and runtimes automatically.
The benefit of visual programming not only eliminates a confusing set of pull down menus to
run the system but also visually allows it to operate the project.
Exhibit 22. and 23. the factors imputed through the map database (above), and a schedule
(below) respectively
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CONCLUSIONS AND RESULTS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WATER
DISTRIBUTION EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS AND THE INTEGRATED WATER
MANAGEMENT PROCESS
The Tesoro Del Valle HOA and Sports Park project implemented a new technology, which
prepared the project to for the state-wide drought.
This is the first time a system can act on the arrangement of the irrigation heads at the irrigation
controller. Prior to this technology, the controller did not “know” actual water distribution
efficiency of any area of a project.
Since water audit is only a sampling process, assuming that the area adjacent to has the same
efficiency is only an assumption, it is not validated. It is unrepeatable, as it is only an
approximation.
When the actual water distribution efficiency database is connected to the VCP, and the 4G
network, a single stand- alone controller can be centralized.
This applied technology allowed the Tesoro Del Valle master planned community HOA to
dramatically reduce water consumption without any changes to the existing landscape.
By saving $100,000 in 6 months, on 92 irrigated acres, the project went from the worst water
efficiency to the best in Newhall County Water District.
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