Water Smart

North Carolina’s legislature this summer moved to regulate landscape irrigation practices. The new laws could impact contractors across the state.

House Bill 2499 states: “Local government water systems and large community water systems shall require separate meters for new in-ground irrigation systems that are connected to their systems.” This means that all irrigation systems must have separate water meters, but not necessarily separate taps. One tap can be used and then dual meters can be installed. On the down side, this adds cost to the system and an increased level of management. On the up side, it allows for the monitoring of irrigation water separate from the house use that helps in the scheduling, maintenance and management of the system.

House Bill 2499 also restricts the use of gray water in North Caroline as follows: “Untreated gray water shall be applied using buckets, watering cans, or handheld containers. Gray water may not be used in an irrigation system unless the gray water has been treated in accordance with standards set out in the State Plumbing Code.” This sends a strong signal, as like many other states, that they are still leery about using gray water in an automatic irrigation system.

Some new requirements include:

• Rain sensors shall be installed on all systems.
• 12 inches are required between the top of the pipe and the natural grade of the topsoil.
• Trenches shall be compacted in lifts no greater than 6 inches to insure proper compaction.
• Teflon tape shall be used on all threaded fittings. The tape shall be wrapped three times to ensure a proper seal.

Systems also are encouraged to achieve a minimum operational lower quarter distribution in the range of 55 percent for sprays, 70 percent for rotors and 80 percent for drip/micro-irrigation.

For more information on the new regulations in North Carolina, and the impact they might have on the industry, check out Kurt K. Thompson’s column in the September issue of Lawn & Landscape magazine.