Looking Ahead to WaterSmart Innovations 2017

Next week researchers, utility personnel and other water-use professionals converge on Las Vegas, NV, for 2017’s WaterSmart Innovations Conference (WSI). UF-ABE will be present in the form of two researchers from the Dukes group. Here is a look at what they will present at the event and other talks we are looking forward to learning more about.

#GatorGood
UF’s contribution to this year’s conference focuses on irrigation technology. Research Associate Bernard Cardenas is presenting on the effectiveness of soil moisture sensor technology when used in residential irrigation systems on reclaimed water. Dr. Michael Dukes will discuss recent work on the pressure regulating spray head testing that was used by the EPA WaterSense Program to develop their new spray sprinkler body (SSB) specification. Did the high-nutrient content in reclaimed water interfere with soil moisture readings? Does SSB pressure regulating capacity vary at different flow rates? All will be revealed at WSI!

Water-use expert Michael Dukes presents recent work on pressure regulating sprinkler spray bodies at the upcoming @WSIConfExpo! #WSI2017 pic.twitter.com/98Z4crx1RS

— UF/IFAS IrriGator (@IrriGatorUF) September 15, 2017

Sessions and More Sessions
WSI always offers a host of informative presentations. As Dr. Dukes said: “It’s a good chance to let people know some of our latest results and to learn what types of research and implementation is happening with regard to irrigation water conservation in other areas of the country.” Noteworthy talks this year range from water reuse to social media marketing to smart irrigation technology. Here are some sessions we are excited about:

• Rainwater and Graywater Myth Busters
  Patrick Dickinson, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Dallas
• A Wild West Tale: Debunking the Myth That Conservation Increases Rate - Candice Rupprecht, Tucson Water
• You Can’t Play Soccer in a Perennial Bed: The Case for Turf Sustainable Landscape -Paul Johnson, Utah State University for Water Efficient Landscaping
• How We Got 10,000 Facebook Followers - Clint Wolfe, Texas A&M Agrilife Water University
• WaterSense in Jeopardy: Saving the EPA Water Labeling Program - Mary Ann Dickson, Alliance for Water Use Efficiency
• Water Conservation in Urban Communities: How the SNWA Does It - Jared Bilberry, Southern Nevada Water Authority 

We're headed to @WSIConfExpo! Preview Bernard Cardenas' talk on using soil moisture sensors with reclaimed water systems. #WSI2017 pic.twitter.com/rthOLrVZYG

— UF/IFAS IrriGator (@IrriGatorUF) September 5, 2017

WaterSmart Innovations always shares presentation pdf files at the end of conference week. Stay tuned for that and, whether you are attending or not, make sure to follow and contribute to conference goings-on on Twitter using #WSI2017.

Whether using reclaimed or potable, overwatering in the landscape is easily preventable

By Bernard Cardenas

Some homeowners with automatic irrigation systems are over-watering their lawns in Florida without even knowing it. To cope with this issue, researchers at UF have been testing different soil moisture sensors, a promising technology that can potentially reduce waste of irrigation water.

Examples of widely available soil moisture sensor devices

Purple Pipes Among Us

In Florida, an important number of homes use reclaimed water to irrigate their landscape. Using soil moisture sensors in this context could present a problem because reclaimed water may contain more salts than potable water, and these salts could alter sensor readings when measuring the soil water content.

Therefore, irrigation specialists evaluated the functionality of four soil moisture sensor brands under both reclaimed and potable water, and quantified their potential irrigation savings. They also analyzed the consistency of each brand to control irrigation and, finally, they compared the brands to see if all of them were effective, or not.

Research Mode

The study was carried out in Gainesville in turfgrass plots irrigated with potable water and reclaimed water (2009 and 2010 respectively). Four soil moisture sensor brands were tested and were compared to a treatment that had no sensor feedback, which is the most common situation in Florida.

All the soil moisture sensors tested applied significantly less water than the comparison treatment (which had no sensor feedback). This was a consequence of the soil moisture sensors not allowing irrigation when soil was wet enough.  

The water savings ranged from 46% to 78% under potable water, and from 45% to 68% under reclaimed water. This means that the tested soil moisture sensors could be used under reclaimed or potable water conditions. Even more promising: these important water savings were obtained during a mostly dry period.

Also important to mention is that these water savings were attained without compromising the turf quality, which always rated good or higher, during the 2 year study.

The Bottom Line

From these results, which are comparable to those achieved in other similar experiments, it is clear that soil moisture sensors can be a useful tool for conserving water on turfgrass irrigated with either potable or reclaimed water.

(Adapted from a recently published research article available here.)