Smart Irrigation Controllers: How This New Technology Can Help Cities Save Water Now.

Climate change. Drought. Water restrictions. Mandatory water supply and runoff reductions. Cities are facing water challenges like never before. Some of these challenges sound biblical in proportion. And, there is little end in site if climatologists are correct.

So, how can a city save water now and plan for more water efficiency that will be necessary in the future?

For better or for worse, these significant challenges are upon us and regardless of the cause, city governments are being called upon by their residents to make significant reductions in their water consumption. So, how can a city save water now and plan for more water efficiency that will be necessary in the future? The key is reducing waste in outdoor (landscape) water use. The American Water Works Association, public agency conservation specialists and even the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) all agree that landscapes are over-watered by 50% on average. That 50% is not only a lot of wasted water – it’s a lot of wasted money. All across California there are rebates offered by agencies that acknowledge there is landscape water waste. The focus of rebate programs is to distribute new water saving technologies called “smart” irrigation controllers and high-efficiency spray nozzles.

California, perpetually plagued by drought, is facing one of the driest years on record. 

“Smart” irrigation actually tracks weather patterns using satellite technology and helps determine the quantity of water used for landscaping on any given day. Across the U.S. each day, a vast network of weather stations transmits weather data to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite.  HydroPoint downloads weather data from the NOAA satellite and other weather data sources.  HydroPoint’s data analysis process uses the weather data to calculate local evapotraspiration (ET) to within 1 square kilometer, which is the approximate equivalent to one-half square mile.  This proven process is what eliminates the guesswork and makes smart irrigation controllers “smart”.  Each day HydroPoint’s wireless network broadcasts local ET data to all WeatherTRAK controllers and their irrigation schedules are automatically adjusted based on landscape needs and the weather conditions of each particular location. The result is higher property values, lower water bills and a healthier environment.

In a study involving twenty-two public agencies that used the most common smart controller technology, WeatherTRAK, have shown 20% - 59% savings across all types of landscapes, including homes, parks, commercial buildings and multi-family housing sites. As an example, the City of Petaluma, needing to meet mandated restrictions in the Russian River watershed, is installing WeatherTRAK controllers in parks and large residential home sites (to date surpassing the local mandate for 15% water savings). The City of Newport Beach, needing to meet water quality requirements in Newport Bay and beaches used by 8 million visitors a year, is installing the same WeatherTRAK technology in over 500 homes and a dozen homeowner associations.

With the passage of Assembly Bill 1881 (Laird) in 2006, cities will be required by 2010 to adopt smart irrigation controllers.  Yet, smart controllers are already being “specified” for new development in Riverside County and the City of Lancaster , well before the legislation takes effect. The specifications utilize a national performance test, called SWAT (Smart Water Application Technology) to drive end-users to the most proven products.  For example the three WeatherTRAK products recorded the first 100% perfect scores on the national performance test (www.irrigation.org) and are the only smart controllers tested by the EPA for water runoff reduction (non-point source water pollution reduction; www.mwdoc.com).  Additionally, WeatherTRAK is the only smart controller technology approved for the Metropolitan Water Districts’ California Friendly Builder program and every public agency rebate program in the west.

Landscape and outdoor water use is the largest opportunity for water savings in every community. Proven smart controller technology and programs designed around unique, local needs can help cities save water now. The same programs, implemented now when the public is looking for and expecting practical agency responses to climate changes, can also help cities prepare for longer dry periods…if the rains don’t return next year and beyond. If your city needs to reduce water demand, has a “peaking” problem, is experiencing street damages from over-watered landscapes, is seeking ways to minimize urban runoff, and/or implement an ordinance that specifies ‘smart” technology, go to www.hydropoint.com.  You can view a white paper on smart controllers and potential programs, a water budget calculator that can calculate how much a landscape is over-watered, studies by public agencies that validate the performance of the technology, and learn about the benefits of adopting performance standards for irrigation equipment and fixed-rate tiered billing to encourage sustained water conservation.

Don’t let landscape water waste continue in your city.

California passed legislation (AB 1881) that will only allow certified smart controllers to be sold in the state starting in 2012. Cities and counties are not waiting for the legislation. Water is running low all across the west. The technology exists to not only save the environment – but it will save your city coffers as well.