Audits and Analysis
Landscape irrigation auditing is an effective tool for maximizing water use efficiency in urban landscapes. Having recognized the benefits of auditing, several municipalities and water utilities are including irrigation auditing as part of their overall water conservation programs to reduce outside water use and to improve the efficiency of existing irrigation systems.
We break an irrigation system audit into 4 phases; Inventory, Site Measurement, Water Distribution, Irrigation Scheduling.
Inventory
An Inventory is designed to give suggestions on what can be done to the existing irrigation system to make it as efficient as possible, without performing major renovation. Once the inventory is complete you will receive:
- Complete system inventory
- Recommendations for system upgrade to improve system efficiency
- Status report on the condition of the various components of the system
Site Measurement
The next step an irrigation system audit process is the Site Measurement. Site Measurement includes measuring the entire site by valve, taking flow measurements by valve. This in critical in producing an irrigation schedule based on Eto.
Water Distribution
The next step of the irrigation system audit process is measuring Water Distribution, which is measuring the evenness of water distribution of your irrigation system by catching the water in measuring cans. This allows us to see the exact distribution of water and where deficiencies are so we can renovate the system for those problems. This also allows us to make an exacting irrigation schedule.
Irrigation Scheduling
When water supplies are limited, it becomes even more important that every drop of water we pay for is utilized to the fullest. The answer to the question, “when do I irrigate and how long?” has been based on assumptions and generalizations in regards to sprinkler system performance and plant water requirements. Audits replace many of the assumptions we make in irrigation scheduling. With irrigation auditing, we customize our irrigation schedules based upon on catch can results, site-specific soil conditions and plant water requirements. Determining when to irrigate should be based upon the depth of the plant’s root zone and the type of soil therein.