A Green Response to Wasteful Use of
‘Free’ Landscape Irrigation Water
Ron Wolfarth
Director, Rain Bird Services Corporation
April 28, 2012
Water is Free!
§ We only pay the cost of delivery:
1¢ or 2¢ for 85 pounds (10 gallons)
§ Imagine if other products
were priced like this
Is Landscape Irrigation Water Wasted?
Many sites use
40% more than
necessary.
Some 2-3
times more.
WHY?
Impacts of Wasteful Irrigation
Impacts of Wasteful Irrigation
Lake Powell
June 2002
Lake Powell
Dec 2003
Four Basics of Efficient Irrigation
1
2
Efficient Design
3
Timely Maintenance
Proper Installation
4
Skilled Management
What if One Element is Missing?
1
2
We will simply be wasting water
Efficient Design
Proper Installation
more
efficiently than
ever before!
3
Timely Maintenance
4
Skilled Management
Elements of
Efficient Irrigation Management
Know Your
Irrigation System
Know Your
Landscape
Know Your
Water Need
Each Day
Efficient Scheduling and Operation
Why Doesn’t This Happen?
§ Time consuming
§ No budget
§ Don’t know how
§ Low priority
(Water is Free!)
Case Study
City Needs and Priorities
§ Parks must be
attractive
§ Reduce waste of
taxpayer dollars on
‘Over-Allocation Fees’
§ Improve access to
facilities through better
irrigation scheduling
§ Increase technical
knowledge to support
irrigation efficiency
Before
§ Parks not meeting
community standards.
§ Over-allocation fees
§ Taxpayers viewed fees
as waste of tax dollars
§ City staff stretched thin
§ Budgets tight, but
park appearance
more important.
Camino Real Park, Tustin, CA (7/31/10)
Services Rendered
§ Site assessment
training for staff
§ Repairs were made
where necessary.
§ Site assessment service
§ No irrigation system
equipment or layout
changes were made!
§ Data collection
§ Database programming
§ Remote and On-site
Irrigation Management
Services
§ City owns a computerized
central control system.
Results
BEFORE:
CaminoReal
RealPark,
Park,Tustin,
Tustin,CA
CA(8/01/11)
(7/31/10)
AFTER: Camino
Results
§ Appearance and function restored to
community standards
§ Over-allocation fees eliminated
§ Irrigation water use 40% lower than water
district allocation.
§ Scheduling more efficient – less time to
irrigate, freeing facility for community use.
§ City staff more knowledgeable, able to
support long term efficient irrigation.
Water Use Results
§ 40% lower than tough water district allocation.
§ Enough water saved beyond allocation on 4 parks in 1 year
to fill a swimming pool the size of a football field 55 feet deep.
In Conclusion
§ Irrigation water is too often wasted
§ Challenging because of the economics
§ Don’t have to give up green landscapes
§ Question your water bill
§ Something can be done
§ Don’t have to rip out all green to save water
§ Take advantage of expertise and efficient
irrigation solutions available
Ron Wolfarth
[email protected]
(520) 741-6539