UF-ABE: An Exciting Place To Be

By Michael Gutierrez

In August, Dr. Kati Migliaccio formally began her term as Chair of UF’s Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department. With new administrators come new ideas and Dr. Migliaccio is very much a researcher of the moment - well-versed in perfecting how engineering and technology can benefit the end-user. During the recent ASABE meeting in Detroit, Dr. Migliaccio agreed to an interview with IrriGator to discuss water-use research at UF-ABE and other thoughts about where the department is and where it’s going.

IG: What’s exciting right now in terms of water-use research at UF-ABE?

KM: There are several things that are exciting. One is looking at water scarcity and the aspects of how we’re going to manage water for the growing food demand and the growing population, and with sea level rise. There are many factors at play in a dynamic system. Another interesting aspect, related to climate change, is the change in water availability over space and time. Crops that are grown in some places may no longer be grown there; crops may be grown in other places, so the water demands are going to change. How are we going to modify our food systems on small scales and larger scales to adjust with those changes in a sustainable way?

Water research is also moving forward with technology. Technology is becoming an integrated part of all water management decisions. Technology is more user-friendly and people are becoming more accustomed to using it. You’re seeing more and more technology applications related to making better water decisions - in restrooms, outdoors in irrigation. With any water application, new technology is developing either in sensing, or managing volume, or allocating our resources so we don’t overuse something for an application that requires a smaller amount to get the job done.

IG: Is there some water-related research that may be missing that you would like to see develop further in the department?

KM: The one area that I would like to explore more that we haven’t has to do with vertical farming and how we can manage resources - water and energy - to produce our food in a more contained environment in readily accessible places like cities. I see that as a real future focus area for our department.

Something to look forward to in 2019, @UF_ABE Dept Chair Kati Migliaccio will co-edit a special Resource edition devoted to women leaders in the discipline. #ASABEaim18 pic.twitter.com/aXEcAq7KH2

— UF/IFAS IrriGator (@IrriGatorUF) August 1, 2018

IG: You have always had an interest in the professional development of students. Are there any plans to encourage more of that in the department for undergraduates - more lab and industry experience?

KM: One of the really valuable things a student can experience is that partnership with industry. I would like to see us grow those relationships so that students are exposed on a more regular basis to what it would be like to work for different types of companies and do different types of things. And also, give students the experience in the profession environment. So not just applying the knowledge or the fundamental principles they learn in graduate school, but also polishing their professional skills and working in that environment that is driven by many factors and not just the science.

IG: What would you say to an incoming undergraduate student with an interest in engineering. Why choose UF-ABE?

Follow Dr. Migliaccio on Twitter

KM: UF-ABE provides a very unique opportunity for students. We have a fairly good ratio of faculty to students. Students in classes do get to know the faculty and faculty are very helpful to the students. That’s not true in all engineering disciplines, many of which have larger classes. Also the application aspect is something that you may not experience in other disciplines. Because it is agricultural and biological, all of the engineering principles and core operation management principles, are applied to real world situations - water issues, energy issues, and food management system issues. You get that experience of applying concepts that you’re learning to something you can really appreciate because they are part of your life. It’s a great place to be. You learn how to not only solve problems from a technical aspect that you might apply professionally, but also how you can integrate this knowledge in your own personal life to be a better citizen.

The future and our ability to live well will depend on our ability to manage our resources. The agricultural and biological engineering discipline focuses on managing our resources. ABE students will contribute to a more sustainable world for future generations - and UF-ABE offers excellent training for students to succeed in this endeavor.

H2OSAV and Water-Use Data Visualization

By Michael Gutierrez

We are in the age of big data. With respect to water-use, being able to access, analyze and visualize data is invaluable for both research and conservation program development. UF/IFAS State Specialized Extension Agent Dr. Nick Taylor uses data to help utilities increase water savings with H2OSAV. Dr. Taylor recently presented his work at the South Florida Water Management District Water Conservation Expo, where he agreed to an interview with IrriGator.

Dr. Nick Taylor, UF/IFAS State Specialized Extension Agent

Can you describe H20SAV?
NT: H2OSAV is a water-savings analytics and visualization tool. What we’ve done is put together a suite of software platforms that a utility can use to assess how their conservation programs have been performing in the past so they can begin to better target those programs to their customers - based on consumption patterns and property features - in a way that can help to increase overall savings. Another component of H2OSAV is data sharing between utilities about programs - how they perform, how to make them better and how to move forward to reach their savings goals.

Can you talk about how a data hub like H2OSAV can be useful for research?

NT: Well there’s the obvious data component - data availability, being able to merge and match that data with property appraisal and other open sources of data. In the past I’ve worked with a number of students of researchers from all over the country to gain access to utility data. And what we get is a group of collaborators who can start to evaluate research questions, maybe add ideas about how that data handling works well or not so well. That’s on the academic side.

On the county level we do have extension agents using this platform. Even though the primary data source has to come from the utility, in several instances the extension agent for the county is also using this. Alachua County is a prime example. Gainesville Regional Utilities has this service and both Alachua County EPD and the Alachua County extension agent use it. It’s very similar in Sarasota and hopefully we’ll be talking with other utilities we work with about access to those platforms for the extension agents there.

Right now is H2OSAV mostly focused around the Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) area?

NT: Yes. Part of the reason it’s focused there is that the state DEP is very concerned about that region. They have directed our attention to that region. We have good collaborators in that region and they have a very set goal that they need to reach. It’s very critical at this time. We’re certainly willing to branch out, but it gives us a contained area to really focus on.

Nicholas Taylor, State Specialized Extension Agent from @UF, asks #UFWater18 attendees how we address additional growth and water demand in central florida #ShapingOurWaterFuture pic.twitter.com/gqskrGRd59

— UF Water Institute (@ufwater) February 7, 2018

Where is H2OSAV in its development? Is this something that is ready to be applied anywhere or are you still working on refining/perfecting?
NT: It has been deployed. There are utilities that are using it. It’s also under constant development where we have production versions, development versions and then we roll out updates, much the same as you would get an update to an app on your phone, or any sort of software.

Currently we have three software tools and they will be merged eventually into one tool that can do many many things. The bar is going to be set high in the future. We have a lot more work to do. What I really want to see is better collaboration between the utilities and that’s the main goal. If there is a next phase, or next step, we want to see some proof that this tool is actually helping and reducing water use.

A Note About the Future

By Michael Gutierrez

Working in water research in Florida affords us plenty of excitement. 2017 certainly had its highlights. In addition to our regular efforts of communicating best practices in irrigation in both landscape and ag, this year marked the conclusion of two lengthy studies and the launch of several others. We also celebrated some notable achievements, some bittersweet departures and some welcome arrivals. Let’s get into the specifics as we look back at the year that was for IrriGator and UF-ABE.

Start At The Beginning

Everything began on a high note in January when one of our better blog entries of 2016 was adapted for a feature in Irrigation Today - the Irrigation Association’s quarterly publication about all things irrigation. Read along as Dr. Michael Dukes and I get to the bottom of whether or not one can install too many water-saving devices on an irrigation controller.

Can you have too many water saving sensors on your timer? We tell you all about it in the Jan 2017 Irrigation Today: https://t.co/DoksFYmK4d pic.twitter.com/HTPlkaDjaO

— UF/IFAS IrriGator (@IrriGatorUF) January 23, 2017

Another immediate benefit to all of IFAS this year was the addition of new data and water faculty. Recognized as the Environmentally Resilient Resource-Efficient Land Use Cohort, many of us had our first opportunity to meet these experts and learn about their work during the 2017 Urban Landscape Summit. I'm especially excited about Dr. Eban Bean. Dr. Bean is not only involved in forward-thinking research in urban stormwater, but he also eagerly invites audiences into his work by way of a strong digital presence on Twitter - smartly employing tweet threads and visual content to inform and educate. Watch for more from Dr. Bean et al. on IrriGator and Twitter in 2018!

Take a minute to save 💰& 💦 by cutting your irrigation to 1d/wk this weekend as we fall back an hour. pic.twitter.com/wWuaOcRerI

— Eban Bean (@EbanBean) November 1, 2017

...One To Go
While I’m on the topic of communicating research, this year I continued on my quest to interview all five of IFAS’s regional specialized agents in water. See my discussions with Drs. Mary Lusk and Charles Barrett and get up to date on the water issues in their areas of the state. Hopefully, 2018 will be the year I finally speak with the elusive Andrea Albertin of Florida’s NW district. You can also follow the work of all the water RSAs on the IFAS Extension blog.

We talk with Dr. Natalie Nelson about #scicomm and the focus of her new position @NCState_BAE! https://t.co/EFz7jPcvPu pic.twitter.com/jME47J6Xv1

— UF/IFAS IrriGator (@IrriGatorUF) August 16, 2017

Summer 17
As new faculty was finding their place among the Gator Nation, many of our brightest graduate students were setting off for new endeavors elsewhere. Accomplished researcher and popular IrriGator contributor Dr. Natalie Nelson successfully defended her PhD during summer and began the fall term as part of NC State’s BAE department. Masters student Eliza Breder defended her research based on the (just concluded) Orange County Smart Irrigation Study and moved on to lend her data skills to Suwannee River Water Management District. And landscape water-use expert Dr. Mackenzie Boyer defended her PhD as well, just before welcoming her third child into the world. Click on the respective links above to read interviews with these stellar UF-ABE alums.

Next stop: Detroit, MI

There were other ABE highlights this summer and most were celebrated during ASABE’s Annual International Meeting in Spokane, WA. Dr. Michael Dukes was formally inducted as an ASABE Fellow. Dr. Kati Migliaccio was recognized with the 2017 Gunlogson Countryside Engineering Award. Biomass Conversion PhD candidate Joe Sagues won first place in the Boyd-Scott Graduate Research Competition. And ABE’s plucky robotic squad bested a host of other teams to finish 4th in the robotics design competition. 2018’s AIM event is slated for Detroit, MI. I’ll be there collaborating with ASABE on digital content again. In the meantime, stay tuned for student competition videos from Spokane debuting here in January.

Ends and Initiations

As mentioned above, some long-term research work concluded this year. I made my final field visit for the Orange County Smart Irrigation Study in October and the final task report was filed this month. ABE PhD student Maria Zamora oversaw the third and final year of the nutrient management best practices study we affectionately refer to as SVAEC because it's based at the IFAS ag extension center in Live Oak.

Maria Zamora presents research in Honduras during summer

This project set the foundation for the ambitious undertaking known as FACETS which we’ll cover extensively here in 2018. And while 2016’s work was making the rounds at conferences this fall, the Dukes group finished their most recent product test with the IrriGreen Genius sprinkler. This zone parameter-adjusting rotor from the future went head-to-head with traditional rotors during summer and fall. I especially enjoyed working with this device because while preparing the research plot it put me back in the field digging trenches and cutting/gluing pipe in the summer sun. Once a tech always a tech.

Looking Ahead

There’s much to look forward to in water research in 2018. As for me, I’ll be watching from South Florida again as I am now part of Broward County’s Naturescape Irrigation Service. But one cannot specialize in outdoor water-use and not be cognizant of the research and education work ABE and IFAS does. I learned from the best there and take that insight with me wherever I go. And because words and visual media are my favorite means for communicating what I know and showcasing what other experts are working on, I assure you this will continue uninterrupted.

Just in Time: Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology Releases a Drought Toolkit

Recently the Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology (CLCE) released an information package including some of the best IFAS expertise on water-use in a drought context. With municipalities and water management districts in Central and Southwest Florida declaring Phase III water restrictions, this is timely insight to have on hand. Prior to the info release Center Director Dr. Michael Dukes granted IrriGator a brief interview to discuss the CLCE’s role in drought and easy ways to address water-waste in your irrigation system.

Even with rain, lawns are dry. A #UF_IFAS expert offers advice for treating your parched lawn properly: https://t.co/HayhjvvJ6r @IrriGatorUF pic.twitter.com/qQldhSjjdZ

— UF IFAS Solutions (@UF_IFAS) May 28, 2017

What does CLCE hope to achieve with the release of all this drought relevant information/insight?

MD: We’re really trying to promoting awareness of the drought. It has been ten years since we’ve had a drought here this widespread. There have been many pockets of dryness (South Florida for example) in between. But really to promote awareness and get people thinking about that our water resources are limited.

U.S. Drought Monitor stats for FL as of late May. (via USDM)

What role do you feel IFAS and CLCE can play in this kind of context?

MD: Our role right now is the awareness part. What can you do about it. And if you’re faced with drought what are some of your options. But I think the building of the awareness part is one of the most important parts because every day when we’re not in a drought we’re conducting research and education on best practices, use of smart irrigation technologies, efficient irrigation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping – we’re doing all those things year round. If you do implement these things you’ll be better prepared for a drought.

This season I know many of the water management districts have stepped up their messaging about drought. Are there opportunities for collaboration with these entities?

MD: Short answer is I think so. The longer answer is there is not a formal mechanism for it. We don’t have a regular meeting with all five water management districts. However, we do have informal relationships and once we get our drought information package together St. Johns River Water Management District has asked us for it. We’ll help them by providing the best science that we have.

“If we don’t conserve water now, we will get into an emergency situation where we don’t have the supply we need." https://t.co/1YcTAwNuDG

— UF/IFAS IrriGator (@IrriGatorUF) May 25, 2017

What are some easy, fast ways to implement best practices to reduce water use in a drought context?

MD: Well, the irony of a drought is you need to water. It’s not the best time to cut your water back. If you have a maintained landscape you’re going to be watering it right now, probably quite a bit. But the practices, the research and education that we conduct all will set you up better for a drought. But it’s stuff you have to do before you get there. Putting in a smart controller right now is probably not going to save any water unless you’re ridiculously overwatering. But from the utility data that we’ve seen people tend to underwater a little bit during this time of year. So people are probably struggling to put enough water on to maintain an aesthetic value of their landscape. The need of the landscapes are very high right now.

The low hanging fruit from an irrigation standpoint, drought or not: adjust the throw on your sprinklers so you’re not watering the road, fix breaks, and check for other obvious issues like clogged heads. The more advanced stuff like smart controllers, they may not save you water right now, certainly rain sensors won’t since it’s not raining. But these things will save you water once we do get to that rainy season.

Dive into the CLCE’s Drought Toolkit here.

Catching up with the Cloud: WiFi-based Irrigation Controllers

By Morgan Hopkins, FYN Agent UF/IFAS Miami-Dade County

Who would have thought that many of life's activities can now be accomplished with an app? From dating, to grocery shopping, and now irrigation scheduling - our hand-held computers (a.k.a. smart phones) have simplified so many of our tasks!

UF-ABE's Dr. Kati Migliaccio knows a thing or two about irrigation apps

Catching On

Within the last year or so, we (the Florida Yards andNeighborhood Program’s Urban Conservation Unit) have seen more and more customers from our Landscape Irrigation Evaluation and Rebate Program (LIERP) show an interest in WiFi or cloud-based irrigation controllers – attracted by the appeal of convenience and high-tech features.

A Rachio cloud-based timer with rain sensor in Coral Gables, FL

When in Rome

If we see it in the field, we need to know how to use it! So thanks to some generous brand reps, we’re now using and learning more about how these new cloud-based, smart irrigation controllers work. Once connected to a local WiFi signal, these controllers generate run times based on external information, such as area weather data. The WiFi capability allows homeowners and property managers to access their systems from an internet connection anywhere in the world. Each brand offers several different interactive features, and most simplify the timer programming process through user-friendly app design.

Miami-Dade FYN Agent Morgan Hopkins

Irrigate From Anywhere

As technology continues to advance, we will see these controllers change internally as well as externally - as in our perception of water management in the landscape. Here’s to hopping on the smart app band wagon and hoping that positive water conservation behavior change comes along with it!

Curious about cloud-based irrigation? This video introduces some basic concepts. 

Focusing Irrigation Conservation Programs to Maximize Savings

By Mackenzie Boyer

Want to know how much potential a water utility customer has to conserve irrigation? First you need to know how much water they’re using. What about figuring this out for every customer in a utility? You’ll want to check out our recently published article “Mining for Water: Using Billing Data to Characterize Residential Irrigation Demand.” 

Treasure Trove

A utility’s monthly water billing records can hold a wealth of information - a gold mine, we would say. The monthly records, even when water meters measure only indoor and irrigation water combined, can provide a great insight into irrigation behavior of individual customers. And if the utility also has parcel identification data linked to their billing records? Jackpot. 

Research area

Tampa Bay Water just happened to have some very detailed, very comprehensive billing data for their six member governments (Pasco County, New Port Richey, Pinellas County, St. Petersburg, Hillsborough County, and Tampa). Our analysis of their data used over 30 million monthly billing records of over 165,000 customers - comprehensive, to say the least. The monthly total water use (indoor and outdoor combined) and parcel data were used to estimate each customer’s monthly irrigation demand (what we estimate customers actually used for irrigation). Each customer’s monthly gross irrigation required (GIR, what we estimate a landscape actually needed to be well-watered) was estimated using parcel, weather, and soil data.

Managing and manipulating the data required some heavy computing power. The statistical programs SAS and R were used, with R selected specifically to run a series of 875,000 calculations at UF’s High Capacity Computing Center. (It still took the computing center over a week to run all the equations.) ArcGIS was used to map customer locations and determine their site-specific weather and soil conditions. We grouped customers by their irrigation habits by comparing their demand to GIR (how much they irrigated compared to how much their landscape needed). Our groups were: high, medium, low and occasional irrigators.

Stay the Course

We found that many, many customers in the Tampa Bay region do not regularly irrigate (our occasional irrigator group). For this 85% of customers, the old adage “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” holds true. These customers should not be actively recruited for conservation programs because we don’t want to inadvertently increase their irrigation by recommending irrigation practices that use more water than their current practices.

Each occasional irrigator did not irrigate much, but the group was so large that the occasional irrigators were responsible for 51% of irrigation utility-wide. In contrast, only 2% of customers were classified as high users, and these customers were responsible for 9% of the irrigation demand.

Keys to Success

Successful irrigation conservation programs are far from one size fits all. Conservation programs should be targeted to the high user customers to maximize the water savings potential. Utilities often have the tools in their historical monthly billing records (even without the comprehensive data of Tampa Bay Water) to estimate how much irrigation customers use. Using this knowledge, they can direct conservation efforts to those who could benefit the most.

The Case of the Water-Saving Plants

Last week marked the 3^rd annual Florida-FriendlyLandscaping (FFL) in the Planned Community information session organized by Claire Lewis, UF/IFAS FFL Statewide Coordinator. 

The Issue

UF/IFAS research has well established that homeowner association (HOA)-controlled communities often face internal obstacles when it comes to implementing resource-efficient practices. HOAs encouraging excessive watering for perfect lawns is one thing, but bringing landscaping disputes to court is quite another. Believe it or not this happens rather often around Florida and this FFL event was aimed at bringing together stakeholders to review case studies and consider alternatives to costly court proceedings when choosing to make your yard Florida-friendly.

Experts Afoot

“Make sure that you’ve gone through the covenants and restrictions of your community so you know what they expect,” said real estate broker Jeannette Moore. 

Jeannette Moore presents on homeowner vs. HOA case studies 

Ms. Moore reviewed several case studies during the event to offer insight into what exactly happens when homeowners take on HOAs. Ms. Moore also maintains a popular FFL-oriented Facebook page.

"Most associations are smart enough to realize this isn't a good case to litigate."
- Barbara Stage, ESQ.

Orlando-based attorney Barbara Stage also attended. Ms. Stage underscored how litigation should be the last resort in FFL disputes, as cases can drag on for years and costs can be exorbitant.

The 9 Florida-Friendly Landscaping principles

The Takeaway 

The Florida-Friendly Landscaping Statute prohibits HOAs and local governments from outlawing FFL. But apparently, statute language on what is FFL and who designates plant life as FFL is not as clear as it could be. In short, be informed before making FFL-oriented landscaping alterations in your HOA-controlled community. 

                                                              

On the Pathway to Landscaping Success with Miami’s DJ Khaled

By Michael Gutierrez (Miami-Dade U.C.U. partner)

If you’re attuned to pop culture and on social media you know about DJ Khaled – Miami radio personality turned music mogul turned Snapchat phenomena. Every day on his Snapchat account Mr. Khaled offers motivational insights and positive messages like only he can – in the elevator, over breakfast, in the shower, on a jet ski and in the garden.

DJ Khaled: a snap sampling

Just Know

The garden gleanings are what I’m going to focus on here. Averaging two million views per snap, DJ Khaled is easily South Florida’s most prominent landscaping advocate! Mr. Khaled keeps flowers, bamboo, and bromeliads in the backyard - all under the watchful eye of a now famous lion statue. Amidst the bamboo vibes and lion order, there are additional lessons to be learned about good landscape management from DJ Khaled. Here are the top five I’ve gathered this fall.

#lionorder

The Keys

• "A good sprinkler system is important."

Even in tropical South Florida, supplementing rainfall with irrigation is sometimes necessary. The keys to success: hydrozone your system so turf zones are watered separate from ornamental zones, and if you don’t have a smart irrigation controller, be sure to have a functional rain sensor installed so there is no watering during rain events.

• "Every day I water my plants. It's a vibe."

The truth is that manually watering your plants is as water efficient as you can get. Why? Because you only water when it's necessary. Further, if you love colorful flowers that require plenty of water, watering these manually while the automated irrigation takes care of the grass will also save water. Conservation is a vibe.

• "Some days the grass is going to be brown. Don't panic."

Your turf will sometimes develop hot spots (brown areas). This can be indicative of poor irrigation system design, a break or leak somewhere in the zone affecting coverage, or pests/disease. But as DJ Khaled says, don’t panic. Resist the urge to increase the irrigation run time or add chemicals to your turf until you know the cause. Why? Over-watering can promote fungus and over-treating can result in chemicals leaching or running off. The key to success: wet-check your system regularly to stay on top of bad coverage and breaks before hot spots develop.

• "It rained yesterday so I'm not watering today."

Only irrigate when it's necessary. Smart irrigation controllers, soil moisture sensors and rain sensors can help you eliminate unnecessary watering.

• "Fruit trees are a vibe."

Recently DJ Khaled planted an orange tree and a star fruit tree in his garden, and there are plans to add a lemon tree and mango tree as well. Why are fruit trees a key to success? They offer shade, attract wildlife to your yard, and will eventually provide delicious edible fruit.

Coming soon: a lemon and mango tree (via Snapchat)

Cloth Talk

Landscaping and landscape maintenance are important industries in South Florida. Miami-Dade's Urban Conservation Unit exists to help promote sustainable landscape practices and facilitate efficient outdoor water use for both residential and commercial properties. In this Herculean undertaking, we’re happy to count DJ Khaled as an ally.

Sign up for a free landscape irrigation evaluation.

Add DJ Khaled on Snapchat: djkhaled305 

Perhaps the greatest thing Ive ever been a part of creating. @DJKhaled​'s Motivational Words of Wisdom. #YouTheBest https://t.co/qyPSWQuXnw

— Kozza (@Kozza) December 1, 2015

WaterSmart Innovations 2015: Thoughts and Impressions

By Mackenzie Boyer

Full disclosure: WaterSmart Innovations is my favorite conference. I love the focus on real-world utility projects, with a sprinkling of university-generated research (like my own). This was my second time attending, and I’m already thinking of how to return in 2016. What follows are some insights and reflections on my WaterSmart experience this fall.

Speaker badge so you know it's real

Gator Nation Rolls Deep

This year representing the IrriGators in Las Vegas were: Drs. Michael Dukes, Melissa Baum-Haley (’11), Stacia Davis (’14), and myself. Also representing UF was Scott Knight (Environmental Engineering ’15), who had received a Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) scholarship.

From left: Drs. Michael Dukes, Melissa Baum-Haley, Stacia Davis and PhD candidate Mackenzie Boyer

In the Audience

Some of the more memorable sessions I attended included:

Karen Guz’s (San Antonio Water) first presentation was such a well told story that I went back for two more or her talks. I especially liked her anecdotes about conservation efforts well-intended but misguided (like the reuse system with potable backup that used more potable water than if the system had just avoided reuse altogether), or with an ulterior motive (like a certain water tower that doubles as an advertisement). 

San Antonio Water's Karen Guz

I saw several presentations on Cash for Grass programs including Sarah Fleury with Castaic Lake Water Agency (take away message: don’t automatically trust customers when they say they have turf in their landscape) and Melissa Baum-Haley with Municipal Water District of Orange County. Both projects were hugely popular. In MWDOC’s case, paper applications were literally stacking up day after day - the rebates of $2-$8/square foot of turf removed coupled with California’s historic drought made the program too attractive to too many customers.

Watershed Management Group's Kiernan Sikdar

Kiernan Sikdar had me ready to move from Gainesville to Tucson just so I could join in Watershed Management Group’s co-op program. A “barn-raising” model that can teach me how and then help me get a gorgeous landscape that thrives from harvesting on-site water? Sign me up!

Waterless and fabulous: Mackenzie Boyer with urinal

At the WaterSmart product expo, I talked shop with other attendees: “You have AMI data?! I want AMI data!” and “Oh you aggregate your data to the census tract level before running correlations? That’s a great approach!” I also couldn’t help but cuddle up to a urinal in honor of some other unnamed Gator engineers who love urine way too much. 

At the Podium

As for my presentation on water restrictions in Florida's Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, I had to begin with the embarrassing admission that my title - Irrigation water restrictions, not as good as you think - although supported by my preliminary data, was incongruous with the presentation I was about to give. 

Are irrigation water restrictions effective? @UF's Mackenzie Boyer presents her findings today @ 3pm Napa A #WSI2015 pic.twitter.com/lApgbCxvuv

— UF/IFAS IrriGator (@IrriGatorUF) October 8, 2015

Going from two day per week allowable irrigation to one day per week allowable irrigation reduced annual irrigation demand by about 14%. However, these trends don’t hold true for all customers. In a newer part of the City of Tampa, customers actually increased their irrigation when restrictions tightened to fewer days. What’s unique about our study is that the evaluation period is over a decade long, where previous studies on water restrictions have been limited to evaluation periods of two months to two years. 

Best Coast?

I spent a summer during college in Arizona working as an intern with the Indian Health Service. I fell in love with the desert landscape and that dry heat that is absolutely nothing like Florida’s sticky, humid summers. Not quite being able to experience the western environment while in a conference all day, Stacia Davis and I headed out to explore a few parks after the conference ended. 

Standing atop Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park, I felt like I could do anything- like maybe even graduate one day. When Stacia and I stopped by Lake Mead, we saw firsthand why over 1,000 professionals attended WaterSmart: Conservation is key. 

You can revisit all the great work presented at WaterSmart Innovations 2015 here.

Meet Morgan Hopkins: UF/IFAS Miami-Dade’s Newest Water Expert

UF/IFAS Miami-Dade filled their long-vacant Florida Yards and Neighborhoods (FYN) Agent position this month. The hire? Morgan Hopkins, a water reuse and conservation expert from Oklahoma.

Having just completed her master’s work this summer, Ms. Hopkins now takes center stage with Miami-Dade’s Urban Conservation Unit, an outfit that administers what is possibly the best funded urban landscape irrigation rebate program in the state, in the most populous county in Florida.

Big personalities take on big tasks in high-profile settings. IrriGator recently interviewed FYN Agent Morgan Hopkins to learn more about her background and her big plans for water in Miami-Dade.

What is your background in water and/or conservation?

I hail from Oklahoma. The Great Plains. While I was there I attended Oklahoma State University (OSU). My undergrad focused on Environmental Science Policy. That’s where I received my formal education on conservation and the environment. But I really delved into water conservation during my master’s program in the OSU Horticulture Department. I was on a grant with Oklahoma City to create and promote a water conservation program. We were coming into our fourth year of drought and my role as the graduate research assistant was to do public education while also continuing my research in reclaimed water use in golf course irrigation and public acceptance of reclaimed water use in Oklahoma. 

Learning the ropes: Morgan Hopkins at a recent landscape irrigation evaluation

What are some of Oklahoma’s current water challenges?

Water is a very contentious subject in Oklahoma, especially when we’re in drought. We’re known for having a drier climate. Everyone knows about the dust bowl from the 1930s. We also experienced a big drought in the 1950s. Oklahoma is based largely on oil production and agriculture so water is very important for both those industries. So when we go without it our economy and people feel the impact.

What is it about Extension that interests you?

I worked with Oklahoma’s Extension through my master’s research and found out how Extension helps the community. I really enjoy that their sole purpose is to help people – to educate and serve the community in a way that is research backed but also backed by counties and business and agriculture. I enjoy tying in the academic research side with the public outreach and working with people.

#UFIFASMIAMIDADEUCU2015: Morgan Hopkins and Jesus Lomeli

What do you think a successful water program looks like in the diverse, populous context of Miami-Dade County?

I think a successful water program would be one that everyone knows about regardless of your economic or social status; it’s something that serves everyone. That would be the basis to me: a program that everyone is aware of and everyone feels is actually benefiting their community as well as the environment. 

Follow Miami-Dade FYN Agent Morgan Hopkins on twitter as she continues with her important water work in South Florida.