The Four Elements of Smart Irrigation

If you work in water you know that July is smart irrigation month. If you don’t work in water perhaps you stumbled onto something about it online or in the media if your local water utility is a savvy marketer. 

Why July? 

Traditionally, the numbers indicate that outdoor water-use peaks in July. And if data also indicates that 50% of water applied to landscapes is lost to inefficiency, then we might also conclude that outdoor water waste spikes in July as well.

How many bath tubs?! A Ewing Irrigation infographic

The Four Elements 

July is #SmartIrrigationMonth! We're showcasing @UF_IFAS expertise all month to help you use water wisely. #UFSIM pic.twitter.com/Hp1ONoYugn

— UF/IFAS IrriGator (@IrriGatorUF) July 2, 2015

Here at IrriGator we know a good educational/marketing opportunity when we see one. So in the run up to this month we set about unpacking the smart irrigation concept. In irrigation the term is usually used to describe a device or technology, but the practice of watering wisely encompasses much more. Here, then, are the four elements of smart irrigation as interpreted by UF/IFAS experts Gail Hansen, Michael Dukes and Kati Migliaccio.

For #SmartIrrigationMonth @UF_IFAS expert Gail Hansen shares how landscape choice/design helps save water. #UFSIM pic.twitter.com/SPGGiRKiHO

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

Time plays a big part in efficient irrigation. @UF_IFAS expert Michael Dukes explains. #SmartIrrigationMonth #UFSIM pic.twitter.com/hfoQkbISOU

— UF/IFAS IrriGator (@IrriGatorUF) July 15, 2015

Technology plays an important role in #SmartIrrigationMonth. @UF_IFAS water expert Kati Migliaccio talks tech: #UFSIM pic.twitter.com/ETAHDAK7iU

— UF/IFAS IrriGator (@IrriGatorUF) July 22, 2015

Irrigation system design is fundamental to efficiency. @UF_IFAS specialist Michael Dukes goes into detail: #UFSIM pic.twitter.com/iN0Cb9d0uM

— UF/IFAS IrriGator (@IrriGatorUF) July 29, 2015

Meanwhile In the Community

While we were busy contributing to the wealth of smart irrigation content online, there were plenty of workshops and events around Florida to inform the public in person. Some of which included:

Kelly Greer of @UF_IFAS Orange County leads the efficient irrigation workshop's hands-on session. #OCEIW pic.twitter.com/3THe60gYG7

— UF/IFAS IrriGator (@IrriGatorUF) July 9, 2015

.@UF_IFAS & @SFWMD experts collaborate on irrigation efficiency workshops for urban & Ag audiences. (via @hydroKati) pic.twitter.com/fr5iOMDkJF

— UF/IFAS IrriGator (@IrriGatorUF) July 17, 2015

Further, the main UF campus saw the inauguration of a new trial for the Smartirrigation urban lawn app in North Florida. 

The smart irrigation turf app begins its North FL trials this week. @hydroKati explains: http://t.co/Co3Hp4PPfl pic.twitter.com/rn2rs7h1ub

— UF/IFAS IrriGator (@IrriGatorUF) July 21, 2015

The study site for this trial includes a host of smart technology and will generate additional useful data on the water saving potential of these devices.

Closing Big

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the smart irrigation efforts of Miami-Dade’s Urban Conservation Unit. The South Florida-based group saved the best for last in July with an informative video polling a variety of industry and academic experts on how each defines smart irrigation. The answers may surprise you.

Taking Its Talents North: Smartirrigation Turf App Under Study in Gainesville

Following successful trials in South Florida that established its water saving potential at between 30 and 40 percent, the Smartirrigation turf app begins testing on the UF campus in Gainesville this week. 

Part of a suite of weather data-informed irrigation apps, the turf app was released in fall 2013. The app works with user location and irrigation system specifics to recommend an appropriate irrigation schedule while also sending notifications about incoming or recent rain events. 

Turf app scheduling will be compared to that of weather-based irrigation controllers 

Trials in 2014 at a test site on the IFAS Tropical REC campus in Homestead compared app scheduling to that of widely available time-based and weather-based controllers. The app demonstrated water savings between 30 and 40 percent.

Dr. Kati Migliaccio is leading the North Florida turf app trial

Why North FL?

“The differences in North Florida and South Florida have to do with rainfall and temperature,” said lead researcher Kati Migliaccio, associate professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE). “The variation in temperature is greater in North Florida, and the variation in precipitation is greater in South Florida.”

The turf app’s water saving potential will also be compared to timers controlled by three different brands of soil moisture sensors.

Right in the root zone: installing a soil moisture sensor at the research site

Study Site

The app trial is taking place on an irrigation plot on the UF campus. In preparation for this study, the Bermudagrass in the plot was rehabilitated during most of 2014. More recently, the research team has replaced older, worn parts on the irrigation system there and determined the distribution uniformity (DU) of the sprinkler heads in use in the plot.

Dr. Jason Kruse leads the Bermudagrass sprig application during summer 2014

Day to day research tasks will be executed by ABE graduate student Ian Hahus. “In contrast to my other work related to large-scale water conservation through water supply with municipalities, this project is more about what each homeowner can do to manage their water,” Mr. Hahus said. “All those little incremental savings can add up to big changes hopefully.”

Graduate student Ian Hahus assists with setting up catch can grids during DU testing

Try It Yourself

While the Smartirrigation turf app proves its mettle under trial in Gainesville, it’s also available now for download on Android and iOS devices. Any Florida or Georgia resident can use this informative guide to learn about the app and begin making weather-based turf watering decisions today.

“A lot of times when you’re setting a controller you aren’t exactly sure how many minutes to program,” Ms. Migliaccio said. “What the app does is it tells you based on evapotranspiration how many minutes you should set your controller to get the best water-use efficiency out of that water and also to keep your plants healthy.” 

Rain Barrels and Pipe Dreams: Separating the Feel-good from the Effective with this Popular Water Conservation Practice

By Mackenzie Boyer and Michael Gutierrez

With thunderstorms aplenty this season, it’s tempting for homeowners to install rain barrels to capture a bit of extra runoff from their roofs. Rain barrels give residents a visible way to support water conservation, and people who use them tend to adopt other conservation measures. But when it comes to the big picture of water sustainability in Florida, rain barrels may not be the best conservation tools. Misconceptions about their benefits abound. Here’s a look at the top five myths surrounding rain barrels:

Baseball, apple pie and a rain barrel

MYTH 1: RAIN BARRELS SAVE A LOT OF WATER: Even with all the rain we have in Florida, rain barrels are too small to save much. With about 60 inches of rain a year, Florida seems like a natural fit for rain barrels, but Florida’s rain is blessed with bad timing. Yards usually need the most water in the spring, but there isn’t enough spring rainfall and storing winter rainfall until the spring isn’t practical. 

On the other hand, summer thunderstorms can drop several inches of rain at once, much more than a rain barrel can store. Using a 50-gallon rain barrel as the standard, it would take about forty rain barrels to irrigate a typical Florida yard once. In west coast numbers, UC Davis professor Jay Lund posits that a rain barrel can replace about 0.1 percent of a Californian’s home water use. Although Floridians can store and use rainwater more often than drought-stricken Californians, the impact on our total water use would still be small.

MYTH 2: RAIN BARRELS SAVE MONEY: Just because rainwater is free doesn’t mean using a rain barrel is cheaper. Tap water costs customers about $3 per 1,000 gallons (the cost varies by utility). A 50-gallon rain barrel that costs about $100 would need to be filled and emptied about 667 times to be cheaper to a consumer than using tap water (or 334 times if purchasing from an Extension program at roughly $50).

MYTH 3: RAIN BARRELS HELP PREVENT FLOODING: Rain barrels have no impact on flooding. A 2011 study of rain barrels in Chicago found no link between rain barrels and localized flooding. To collect the first ½ inch of rainfall (a typical minimum amount recommended for stormwater control) off a 1,000 square foot roof, about six rain barrels would be needed.

MYTH 4: RAINWATER IS CLEANER: Water from a rain barrel may not be cleaner than tap water. Rainwater itself might be cleaner than tap water, but rooftop runoff may not be. Most rain barrels don’t have bypasses to avoid the first flush of debris and pollutants that may wash off a roof, so those contaminates could end up in the rain barrel. Further, rooftop runoff usually flows through an insecticide-treated screen (used to prevent mosquitoes from breeding and any trash from entering) and into the barrel. 

MYTH 5: BY REDUCING WATER USE, RAIN BARRELS REDUCE ENERGY USE: Rain barrels may have a larger carbon footprint. The rainwater doesn’t require treatment and pumping like tap water, but the plastic barrel requires energy to be produced. The carbon footprint of a 50 gallon plastic rain barrel (not including piping, inlet screen, or spigot) is equal to driving a mid-sized car about 25 miles, but using 50 gallons of tap water is equal to driving a distance of about 0.14 miles. A rain barrel would need to be filled and emptied about 180 times before its carbon footprint is equal to the carbon footprint of using tap water. Since Floridians probably fill and empty their rain barrels about ten times per year, it would take about 18 years for a rain barrel to have the same carbon footprint as tap water.

Large cistern action in Carrboro, NC.

Don't Stop Believing
So should we just give up on rain barrels? Not necessarily. But we also shouldn’t continue to over-estimate their benefits. Thinking bigger than rain barrels is a better option. Glenn Acomb, a landscape architect at the University of Florida, recommends thinking about cisterns and green roofs. The key, he says, is to make the rainwater storage large enough to make an impact.

UF/IFAS Irrigation Specialist Michael Dukes recommends playing offense and defense with water conservation: looking to alternative water supplies like rainwater harvesting while also finding ways reduce irrigation demand, such as following Florida-Friendly Landscaping (FFL) principles.  

Do you know your nine principles?

Characterized by their use of native and drought-tolerant plants and efficient irrigation, FFLs provide a multitude of benefits. In addition to water conservation (using about half as much irrigation as traditional landscapes, or none at all), FFLs can create habitat for birds, butterflies, and bugs, reduce fertilizer use, and protect downstream water bodies. And that’s more than anyone can expect from a 50 gallon rain barrel.  

Special things begin with gutters: rain gardens are also a stormwater management option

Did You Know UF/IFAS Has Its Own Weather Network?

By Rick Lusher

The Florida Automated Weather Network (FAWN) was established in 1998 in response to the discontinuation of the National Weather Service (NWS) agricultural weather forecast products.  What began as a network of 11 Cooperative Extension Service sites in Lake and Orange counties is now a statewide system of 41 sites located from Homestead to Jay, near Pensacola. Data are collected from each site every 15 minutes and, along with several calculated products and weather-related tools, are delivered to the public by way of the Internet. 

Navigating the Homepage
The FAWN Homepage shows a map of the state of Florida with the current air temperature displayed at each FAWN station, with different shaded areas to show higher (oranges and reds) and lower (greens and blues) values.  There are also links to various data access methods, data products, and tools.   FAWN also posts system status updates via Twitter.

Additional current measurements and a local National Weather Service (NWS) forecast can be viewed by rolling your mouse over the temperature at any station – Citra, indicated by the red circle, is shown below.  You can also select different map views by selecting the links to the left of the map, Wet Bulb Temp, for example.

FAWN’s mission: provide timely 

and accurate weather data 

to a wide variety of users.

Even More Data

Along the left side of the Homepage, there are several ways to access information.  For example, you can view RADAR images and loops from each NWS Florida RADAR.

You can use Graphic Weather Data to view recent data on a graph, and easily see how temperatures, for example, are changing over time.

If numbers are your thing, you can use Latest Observations to view data from all stations in a table.

Your Weather Toolkit

While FAWN has access to lots of data, we also do a lot of calculations for farmers and homeowners alike.  These can be found in the Tools menu in the green bar at the top of the Homepage.

As you can see above, we have tools for cold protection, irrigation, and climate, as well as several miscellaneous tools.  

All FAWN resources are available free-of-charge at the FAWN website. If you are into weather data and weather related information, especially in Florida, FAWN is the place for you.  Thanks for checking out this quick overview, and please be sure to check future blog posts for a more detailed look at our data products and tools. 

On the Leak-sticle Beat With Miami-Dade’s Urban Conservation Unit

In journalist parlance, the listicle is an article written in list form. You’ve probably read a couple in the past few days. Popularized by online publications and an effective means for addressing a variety of topics under a common theme, the listicle is here to stay.

Here at the IrriGator blog we are nothing if not pioneers. So I give you our first attempt at a “leak-sticle,” a listicle about leaks in urban landscape irrigation systems! And for motivating this venture I must acknowledge some colleagues in South Florida.

Will it float? The answer is yes.

Recently, UF/IFAS Miami-Dade’s Urban Conservation Unit (U.C.U.) used Facebook to recap some of the most egregious leaks and breaks they’ve encountered in the field thus far this year. The spectrum (many pictured here) runs from extravagant geysers and sloppy gushers to the subterranean and obscured. In all cases, however, there is a combination of issues that contribute to this kind of system disrepair and water waste. I spoke with the U.C.U. to get additional insight about these top leaks and arrive at some conclusions on how to avoid these kinds of disasters.

Who is the U.C.U.? Jesus Lomeli and Laura Vasquez

Wet Checks – Conduct Them Regularly

A wet check (or walk through) is when you or your irrigation professional turn on the system and walk the irrigated areas to look for leaks, clogs or other irregularities. You cannot do a wet check on a system and miss these colossal breaks!

Wet checks help detect both subtle and more apparent system issues

“This is typical. This is what we see out there,” said Laura Vasquez, FYN Coordinator and U.C.U. member, in reference to the images. “We recommend everyone take time to walk through the system at least once a month and get involved with the maintenance of your system. It’s automated, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to run perfectly every time it turns on.”

Technology – Where Possible, Use It

Smart, wireless and in the cloud - we are all about better living through technology today. So how does this apply to irrigation? With respect to leaks, U.C.U. technician Jesus Lomeli suggests flow sensors.

An example of a wireless flow sensor

“A flow sensor connects to your timer and system mainline and can detect leaks (an imbalance in the flow rate) and will shut off a zone until someone comes to service the break. These work for large property and residential property systems.”

According to Mr. Lomeli, some timers can also send alerts via text or email when the flow sensor notes a problem, so someone is made aware of the maintenance issue. Because, as Mr. Lomeli underscored in our conversation, awareness is critical. 

Curbside appeal? Not exactly

"In most instances with these locations, the property managers were not aware of the leaks, and if they were, there was no hurry to repair things. Some timers were even scheduled to run every day. If this kind of water loss was happening indoors, inside a property, it would have been dealt with immediately.”

Design – Hydrozone and Low Flow

What was starkly obvious to me in this collection of top leak images was the underlying contribution of poor system design. Many of these breaks happened on risers or on high-volume spray heads in shrub and ornamental landscape areas. 

Everything shrubs: an ideal area for drip line irrigation 

This is not the proper way to irrigate such plant life. Shrub areas need to be on their own irrigation zone separate from turf areas (hydrozoning) and should be watered using drip line or micro-sprays (low volume). You can't break a spray head that doesn’t exist.

What even is this image? Water waste!

To Be Continued…

Since these leak images are part of a Facebook album, there are plans to add more as they are gruesomely encountered in the field, providing additional opportunities for everyone to learn from bad management practices.

“So far this program year we’ve seen 89 single family homes and 34 large properties,” Mr. Lomeli said.

Resuscitating your system this summer? Take a lesson from EPA WaterSense

And now that everyone has a renewed interest in irrigation rebates and recommendations in the climbing South Florida temperatures, the U.C.U. is sure to stay in the field and busy into fall.

Meet New Statewide UF/IFAS Master Gardener Coordinator Wendy Wilber

The Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology recently named Alachua County environmental horticulture agent Wendy Wilber statewide coordinator for the UF/IFAS Master Gardener Program.

Center Stage

As is the wont of master gardeners, last week Ms. Wilber was a featured speaker at Disney EPCOT’s International Flower and Garden Festival. To audiences throughout the day, she instructed on plant propagation - demonstrating several resourceful and inexpensive methods for multiplying plants.

Wendy Wilber demonstrates how to divide a mondo grass bunch

“People want to learn how to share plants. It’s a great way to keep a special plant growing,” Ms. Wilber said. “Propagation is a topic that gardeners want to know about. It’s a little bit more of an advanced topic, but it’s a good skill for them to have.”

Using color in the landscape at the International Flower and Garden Festival

“Florida is at an interesting time right now, 

and master gardeners are uniquely poised 

to bring good Florida-Friendly landscaping 

information to the public.”

-Wendy Wilber

The Festival

The International Flower and Garden Festival is an annual Disney EPCOT event showcasing landscaping practices for beautification and sustainability. This year features Illuminated Gardens, a butterfly area and over a dozen Disney-themed topiaries scattered throughout.

Yes, you can be colorful and Florida-Friendly

One of more than a dozen Disney-themed topiaries (image by Michael Dukes)

Edibles are a great addition to any Florida garden

Ms. Wilber noted that the event expertly captures the gardening pulse of the moment. “You can always see the trends here at the EPCOT festival. Right now the edible trend is hot. Raise beds. Hydroponics. Those are all featured in the idea and discovery gardens. People can take these ideas back home and if they have problems they can contact their local master gardeners.”

Rain Thoughts: A Springtime Tale of Field Work, Classrooms, and Cynthia Barnett

Last weekend I attended the local book launch event for Cynthia Barnett’s new book Rain: A Natural and Cultural History.

April Showers...

This has been an especially insightful spring for me. First, thanks to Ms. Barnett, I got back into the rhythm of the classroom for the first time in decades. She allowed me to sit in on her inaugural Environmental Journalism course for the School of Journalism. As a Hearst Visiting Professional, Ms. Barnett will also be teaching in the fall.

Only four months away and highly recommended (image by Jennifer Adler)

Second, despite an almost overwhelming amount of field work on our most recent project, water quality-focused and Live Oak-situated (watch for a blog entry soon)...

NFREC Project: yes the dimensions are this big x 2

...I still found time to realize some good media-work ideas. Namely, a short audio interview of Ms. Barnett recorded earlier this year (by graduate student Mackenzie Boyer) in hopes of previewing both the environmental journalism course and the now published book. Listen to it here.

It's Raining Content

Publishing day for Rain fell on April 21^st. And for us Cynthia Barnett admirers, the days surrounding the release offered a king’s ransom in great content! Some of which included a New York Times book review, a profile in the Gainesville Sun, a fascinating, hour-long book discussion on WBUR’s On Point Radio and a Wall Street Journal piece by Ms. Barnett exploring rain, stormwater infrastructure and Los Angeles.

The Arid Lands Institute at Woodbury 

University in Burbank, Calif., estimates that

 L.A.’s massive flood-control system shunts

 some 520,000 acre-feet of rainfall to

 the Pacific Ocean each year—enough

 to supply water to perhaps a

 half million families.

Cynthia Barnett; "To Fight the Drought, L.A. Needs a Rain Revolution"

Cynthia Barnett signs books at First Magnitude Brewery

In all honesty, I am not in the habit of being around, much less taking a class with, a writer I consider a giant of the craft. This spring has been one of the experiences of my time in Gainesville I will treasure most.

Final session of @UFJSchool's Enviro Journalism course. What a joy it has been learning w/ @cynthiabarnett. #EJUF pic.twitter.com/HMqBdJayxe

— Michael G (@waterparatodos) April 20, 2015