By Byron B. Beall
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a natural disaster declaration with the news that close to 1,000 counties, touching 26 states, were in some form of drought condition. This was recently followed up with a forecast from the U.S. Department of Commerce that the Seasonal Drought Outlook through the rest of the year was extremely bleak, showing the drought expanding to almost 65% of the contiguous U.S. Needless to say, this is not good.
So I ask…because of the state of fresh water, are the landscape industry and urban development groups going to lose the battle for lush, beautiful landscapes at our homes and businesses? Is the lack of fresh water going to shrink our industry? Well, to be honest, I’m not sure.
I believe there are many things that go into answering those questions completely. Though it’s not feasible to cover every aspect of water conservation in one article, I would like to touch on a few topics, including water management education, technology, and government involvement at the local level.
Also, I would like to present an idea or “plan” involving all three topics—with the goal of creating a working relationship among the three involved parties: the end user, the landscaper/irrigator, and the local agency.
Opportunity for education
First, education is a major issue in regard to water management. Simply put, there is not enough understanding of plant needs and efficient irrigation practices. Homeowners don’t understand the critical nature of fresh water, unless they have been driven to the brink of not having any (see the Texas towns of Spicewood Beach earlier this year or Kemp last year).
In general, business owners, as well as homeowners, just want aesthetically pleasing landscapes. Beautiful landscapes reflect a certain level of status, acceptability, and comfort. With that often comes a belief that continuous watering will make things prettier.
Some tend to think, “Well, it’s not growing fast enough, or it’s not green enough, so just put more water on it,” when what they typically need to do is back off on the watering, or maybe be more mindful in its application.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has noted that half the water applied by sprinkler systems is ineffective and wasted for several reasons; I believe this is largely because people don’t understand smart watering.
What concerns me most is the vast number of landscapers and irrigators who truly don’t seem to understand water efficiency as it pertains to the design, installation and management of irrigation systems.
Unfortunately, often irrigators don’t put forth the effort to set up efficient sprinkler systems, educate customers about their systems, or learn about new irrigation technologies. And although it’s becoming more and more popular, too few landscapers take the time to get certified as a landscape irrigation auditor. This program, through the Irrigation Association (IA) and other state organizations, educates participants on what an efficient system does and doesn’t look like through hands-on education, both in the classroom and in the field. This program has the potential of far-reaching, positive impact in water management.
Technology works
Just like our everyday life, technology is changing the irrigation industry. Unfortunately, technology in the irrigation business isn’t met with the same enthusiasm we see with the new iPad or the new ultra smartphone. When it comes to new irrigation technologies, there’s typically skepticism and doubt, which doesn’t make much sense. We can hold a phone in our hand and see storms roll in on the radar, or watch a sporting event in real time; however, many contractors have a hard time grasping that smart nozzles are good for all of us (especially the plants)—or that intelligent controllers, when set up properly, can save tremendous amounts of money and water.
What is so hard to believe?
Manufacturers have gone to great lengths to develop technically advanced nozzles, heads, rotors, drip, valves, controllers and sensors to the point where I can show some customers a return on investment in less than two years on some properties, and sometimes, significantly less. The combination of several water efficient products can potentially save as much as (or more than) 50% on a property’s water usage, without any negative change in plant quality.
As a matter of fact, it’s not uncommon to see plant quality improve when water-saving measures are enacted. Many contractors have shared that they achieved better-looking properties with the use of irrigation technology and significantly less water.
The local connection
Here in Texas, agencies have been forced to be more and more aware of outdoor water usage issues. Landscape irrigation, being the “lowest hanging fruit” in this dilemma, places conflicting pressures on the municipalities or water districts on how to manage their water supply.
On the one hand, cities are typically in the business of selling water, with sales going into their general budgets to pay for multiple programs. They need homes and businesses to have great curb appeal, so that citizens will feel good about their town, and others will want to visit or settle—which often requires the movement of water.
On the other hand, the metropolitan areas in Texas are among the fastest growing urban areas in America. The Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) area has been reported to be the fastest of all, growing at almost 15 people per hour, per day over the last several years. Well, guess what? Though our need has dramatically increased, DFW doesn’t have any more water than it did five years ago.
Area water districts and municipalities are actively working on conservation messages. If you drive in any of the large urban areas in Texas, there are billboards, newspaper advertisements and TV commercials discussing the points of efficient irrigation. Because—truth be told—they don’t want to see what happened in Atlanta several years back, when that large municipal area was faced with having less than 180 days of water left. That was scary then, and is a scary possibility for many areas in the near future.
Where do we go from here?
So what do we do? It’s a complex issue that will require a great deal of collaboration, and I think therein lays the challenge. There are many intelligent people working on these issues, but so far, there is no silver bullet for solving the problem across a variety of stakeholders in geographic regions that have dramatically different requirements.
Nevertheless, I would like to share one idea that might be worth considering.
In the DFW area, several municipalities have decided to go to permanent two-days-per-week watering schedules, even in none drought times. (I realize this situation doesn’t pertain to everyone reading this, but bear with me as I work through this example.)
This means that a homeowner or business owner has 104 days per year to apply water, right? My idea is to set up a comprehensive plan to give water users the ability to apply 104 days of water whenever they need it. If done correctly, I believe it meets the needs of all parties involved: property owner, landscaper and agency.
The 104-Day Plan
This is how the plan breaks down. In order to qualify for the “Water as You Want Program” (so to speak), one must take the following measures.
- Meter up. First, each property that would like to be a part of this program must purchase an intelligent irrigation meter from their city or township. The technology in the metering business has improved to the point where municipalities can monitor every movement of water at any property, at any time. These designated meters can keep count throughout the calendar year of each day a property applies water. If a property owner chooses to wait to turn on the irrigation system until sometime in April, so be it. Or maybe they wait until June, because it was abnormally cool—that’s fine. Either way, they can still use their 104 days of water for their property if they need or choose to do so.
- Order an audit. Next, each property must have a Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor (CLIA) audit every zone, at the participating property owner’s expense.
- Improve distribution uniformity (DU). Property owners should then consult a professional irrigator (which may or may not be the individual who performed the audit) to schedule necessary repairs or upgrades. In order to meet the program’s criteria, all zones must have a DU of 70% or better (see www.irrigation.org for a definition of DU). Audits must be performed annually by a CLIA auditor to maintain irrigation efficiency.
- Set the standard. Next, all controllers and sensors should meet an approved technology level determined by the agency administering the program. Whether an evapotranspiration (ET)/weather-based system or a soil moisture sensor based system, the program would require that each component be maintained and inspected annually by approved personnel. Agencies could set up rebate programs for approved technologies.
- Meet the natives. Finally, each property must have only approved regional plants on site.
Meet each of these criteria, and the qualified property may have the freedom to water as their technology sees fit, but never to exceed 104 application days in a year.
Perhaps you are wondering, “How is this going to solve our water problems, though?” Well, as stated before, Americans water their landscapes way too much. I believe the technology that the industry has today would let the qualified participant see watering cycles around 50 to 60 total days, all year. But with this plan, the water is applied when it is needed, in the heat of the summer.
I know…you’re probably saying, “I really don’t want the city monitoring my water usage all the time, or telling me what to do.” Because it is the choice of the property manager/owner, participation is optional. The program would be available for those who want to see significant savings and true water efficiency. It might not be for everyone…or it might spread like wildfire.
The bottom line
With a program like the 104-day plan, homeowners could have great-looking landscapes while saving money on their water bill. Contractors can leverage the program to grow their businesses through audits, and irrigations system repairs and upgrades. Water agencies gain more mindful customers, have a better water management system in place, and can serve as a positive example for other agencies—all the while helping to keep the city’s parks and landscapes looking great. They also have a lot to gain from a labor and savings standpoint if they practice the plan on city-owned properties.
If conditions continue down the road we are travelling, we have to do something to help our industry survive. Water conservation is here to stay. What are you doing to make a difference?
Byron B. Beall, CLIA, serves as a North Texas-based water management specialist for Ewing Irrigation. He can be reached at bbeall@ewing1.com.
