Kevin A. Rudat CID,CIC,CLIA EPA Water Sense Partner IANE President IANE Education Chairman www.irrigationassociationne.org www.irrigation.org 1
Smart Irrigation Components How we can conserve water while still having a healthy landscape 2
Smart Irrigation Components Attendees Homeowners / End Users Irrigation Contractors IA Members IANE Members 3
Today s Goals What is the purpose of a Professionally Installed Irrigation System? What are the Benefits? How do they work? What are they comprised of? What are the available irrigation components that can be installed to conserve and reduce landscape water use while still providing the water the landscape needs too survive and thrive? 4
Best Management Practices (BMP s) A Best Management Practice (BMP) is a recommended practice. For the irrigation industry, the practices are defined below as a guide to reduce water usage and protect water quality. BMPs for irrigation systems are economical, practical and sustainable approaches to maintain healthy and functional landscapes without exceeding the water requirements of the landscape. 5
What is the purpose of a Professionally Installed Irrigation System? BMP 1 - Assure Overall Quality of the Irrigation System The purpose of an irrigation system is to provide supplemental water when rainfall is not sufficient to maintain the turf and landscape for its intended purpose. A quality irrigation system and its proper management are required to distribute supplemental water in a way that adequately maintain plant health while conserving and protecting water resources and the environment. Assuring the overall quality of the system requires attention to system design, installation, maintenance and management, in particular: The irrigation system shall be designed to be efficient and to uniformly distribute the water. The irrigation system shall be installed according to the industry design specifications. The irrigation system shall be regularly maintained to preserve the integrity of the design and to sustain efficient operation. The irrigation schedule shall be managed to maintain a healthy and functional landscape with the minimum required amount of water. 6
Best Management Practices (BMP s) BMP 2 - Design the Irrigation System for the Efficient and Uniform Distribution of Water. The irrigation system shall be designed to be efficient and to uniformly distribute the water. Specific criteria that shall be considered in the design include soil type, slope, root depth, plant materials, microclimates, weather conditions and water source (e.g., quantity, quality and pressure). To conserve and protect water resources, the design shall incorporate the appropriate equipment components that meet state and local codes and site requirements. 7
Best Management Practices (BMP s) BMP 3 - Install the Irrigation System to Meet the Design Criteria The irrigation system shall be installed according to the design specifications. To conserve and protect water resources, the installed components shall meet the design specifications, manufacturer s specifications, and state and local code requirements. The installation shall result in an efficient and uniform distribution of the water. The irrigation contractor or installer shall be licensed (and certified where applicable) and insured. 8
Best Management Practices (BMP s) BMP 4 - Maintain the Irrigation System for Optimum Performance The irrigation system shall be regularly serviced to maintain the performance of the system as designed. To conserve and protect water resources and the environment, the serviced components shall meet the design specifications, manufacturer s specifications, and state and local code requirements. The maintenance shall result in sustaining an efficient and uniform distribution of the water. The maintenance contractor, owner, manager, or irrigation contractor shall be licensed and/or certified (where applicable) and insured. 9
Best Management Practices (BMP s) BMP 5 - Manage the Irrigation System to Respond to the Changing Requirement for Water in the Landscape To conserve and protect water resources and the environment, the irrigation schedule shall be changed as required to provide supplemental water to maintain a functional and healthy turf and landscape with the minimum required amount of water. 10
Best Management Practices (BMP s) The BMPs defined above are based on the Irrigation Association s Turf and Landscape Irrigation Best Management Practices of December 2010 http://www.irrigation.org/uploadedfiles/resources/bmp_revised_12-2010.pdf 11
What are the Benefits? The purpose of an irrigation system is to provide supplemental water when rainfall is not sufficient to maintain the turf and landscape for its intended purpose. A quality irrigation system and its proper management are required to distribute supplemental water in a way that adequately maintain plant health while conserving and protecting water resources and the environment. Efficient Application of water Smart controllers only apply what the landscape needs, thereby reducing water waste 12
Average Household Water Use 13
GUIDELINES FOR EFFICIENT OPERATION OF AUTOMATIC UNDERGROUND IRRIGATION SYSTEMS The programming and operation of your automatic underground irrigation system will be dictated by a variety of factors. Your automatic controller should have all the required features to allow you to fine tune your system s performance for maximum efficiency. The following factors should be taken into consideration when programming your timers / controllers: 1. Time of year as well as past, current and future weather conditions. Conservation bylaws set by the town and current stages of watering bans. 2. Type of landscape material being watered. Lawns, shrubs, flowers and trees all have different needs. 3. Type of equipment i.e., rotary head, spray (mist) head or drip tubing. All of these have different application rates and should be timed differently. 4. The profile of your landscape also should be considered. Sun exposure, hills and slopes, low areas as well as soil types (loam, clay, sand) all need to be accounted for when making your programming decisions. In dry conditions, lawns and flowers which have shallow root systems may need to be watered more frequently due to sandy soil conditions than trees and shrubs which have deeper root systems. Generally, you would water lawns and flowers for less time more often and trees and shrubs for longer times less frequently. 5. Your controller should be capable of independent timing and scheduling of each zone in your system. Each zone should represent a specific part of your landscape i.e., front lawn, back lawn, back bed, etc. Each zone should be programmed in accordance with the aforementioned criteria. 14
What are they comprised of? Water Source Water Meter Backflow Device Electric Zone Valves Controllers (Clocks) Sensors Rain/Freeze Soil Moisture Flow Rotors / Sprays Drip Tubing 15
How do they work? 16
Basic Ways to Reduce Water Waste Proper Irrigation System Design & Installation Hydrozones Sunny vs. Shady Flat vs. slope Do NOT combine different sprinkler types (Sprays vs. Rotors vs. Drip) Different Precipitation Rates Proper Sprinkler Adjustments Proper Controller Scheduling Time of Day Duration of Zone Run Times 17
Smart Irrigation Controllers Definition of Smart Controller Smart controllers estimate or measure depletion of available plant soil moisture in order to operate an irrigation system, replenishing water as needed while minimizing excess water use. A properly programmed smart controller requires initial site specific set-up and will make irrigation schedule adjustments, including run times and required cycles, throughout the irrigation season without human intervention. Testing of Smart Controllers IA test performance reports for smart controllers are a record of the water applied by a properly installed and programmed smart controller without human intervention for a testing period that receives a minimum ET of 2.5 inches and a minimum rainfall of 0.4 inches. Use of Smart Controllers For best results when using a smart controller, incorporate proper hydraulic design and equipment layout in the irrigation system installation. Initial monitoring of the site is necessary to confirm the accuracy of the irrigation schedule. Maintenance issues and site modifications may require irrigation system repair or recalibration of the smart controller settings to optimize system performance. IA 8/06/2007 18
Water Saving Irrigation Components Smart Controllers (Clocks) Sensors Rain/Freeze Soil Moisture Flow Rotors Sprays Drip Tubing 19
Smart Controllers (Clocks) Wi Fi Controllers Cloud Based Controllers Hunter Hydrawise PHC-1200 RainBird ESP-TM2 RainBird ESPSMTe RainBird ESPMe TORO EVOLUTION Weathermatic Smartline RACHIO 20
Hunter Hydrawise Wi Fi Controller 21
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Rain Bird Wi Fi Controllers 23
TORO Wi Fi Controller 24
Weathermatic Smartline Smart Controller The Basic mode programs exactly like the conventional controllers used by most manufacturers. There s no need to learn a new method. The Smart mode is where the power lies. Combined with our SLW Series Weather Stations, SmartLine becomes an ET-Based water-saving controller that adjusts watering times 365 days a year. ET Watering adjusts the duration, frequency, and soak time by several factors. Weather Data combined with geographical location, sprinkler type, plant type, soil type, and a fine tuning option, enables your SmartLine controller to make precise watering decisions. 25
RACHIO Wi Fi Controller 26
Sensors Rain / Freeze / Soil Moisture Miniclik Wireless Hunter Rain Bird Irritrol Baseline 27
Smart Sensors Hunter Solar Sync 28
Rotors RainBirdPLPCPRS (www.rainbird.com) RB Rotator Nozzles (www.hunterindustries.com) Hunter PGP MP Rotators Irrigreen (www.irrigreen.com) 29
Rain Bird 1804SAMPRS Seal-A-Matic Check Valve Pressure Reducing Spray Hunter Pros04CV Sprays Heavy Misting / Atomization No Misting / No Atomization w/prs Spray Body 30
Drip Irrigation Hunter PLD-06-12 Rain Bird XFCV-06-12 Netafim TLCV-06-12 31
Professionally Installed Drip Irrigation *Drip Tubing is Scratched in *Lateral spacing is consistent (~16 ) 32
Professionally Installed Drip Irrigation 33
Not So Professionally Installed Drip Irrigation 34
Drip Irrigation Check valves keep the line charged up to 5' and prevent low point drainage Pressure compensating emitters Flow rates of 0.4, 0.6, 1.0 GPH Emitter spacing at 12", 18", 24" Anti-siphon prevents debris from entering emitters when used subsurface Available without emitters (blank) 35
Irrigreen Controller www.irrigreen.com 36
Ashland,MA Irrigation System Registration Dear Ashland Resident: Enclosed is the Registration/Certification form for existing inground irrigation systems connected to the municipal water system. Please return the completed form to the Ashland Water Department. The following steps are required to bring your irrigation system into compliance: 1. All irrigation systems must be equipped with programmable timers and precipitation monitoring devices (for e.g. a rain gauge). 2. Contact your irrigation company to set up the rain sensor/programmable timer inspection. The Inspector must complete the form, sign, date and return original to the Ashland Water Department within one week of testing. 3. The Plumbing Department will have the permit number information. (508-881-0100 ext.7123) 4. All testing and certifications must be completed annually. If you have any questions, please contact the Ashland Water Department: 508-532-7940 or visit our website for the Town by-law: http://ecode360.com/12611032?highlight=270 37
Irrigation System Certification Form IRRIGATION SYSTEM PRECIPITATION MONITOR AND PROGRAMMABLE TIMER CERTIFICATION FORM. Test Date: Pass Fail Retest Date: Pass Fail Permit#/Registration# / Cross Connection Control #: Test Address: Irrigation Company: (PLEASE PRINT) Irrigation Company Email and Phone #: Inspector Name: (PLEASE PRINT) Inspector s Signature: Date: 38
Rain Sensor Law Mass General Law Part I Title II Chapter 21 Section 67: System interruption devices required for newly installed or renovated irrigation systems to override and suspend programmed operation of irrigation system during periods of sufficient moisture; regulations; inapplicable to systems operating on agricultural lands 39
Bill S.437 Irrigation Contractor License 4/15/2015 Senate Referred to the committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture 4/15/2015 House House concurred 10/1/2015 Joint Hearing scheduled for 10/06/2015 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in DCR Quabbin Bluemeadow Conference Center 11/25/2015 Senate Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Senate Ways and Means 1/3/2017 Senate No further action taken 40
Local Manufacture Reps Hunter Industries Ernie Drougas Netafim USA Art Elmers Rain Bird Keith Zelazny TORO/Irritrol Joe Keteltas Weathermatic Chris Pine 781-670-6427 ernie.drougas@hunterindustries.com 201-232-4961 aelmers@netafimusa.com 630-957-7695 kzelazny@rainbird.com 508-328-2329 joe.keteltas@toro.com 508-274-0636 chris@cpineassociates.com 41
Irrigation Association www.irrigation.org 42
Irrigation Association of New England www.irrigationassociationne.org 43
Kevin A. Rudat CID,CIC,CLIA EPA Water Sense Partner kevin@krudatassociates.com 508-277-8852 cell www.irrigation.org www.irrigationassociationne.org 44
Questions 45