SMART IRRIGATION SECTION: Celebrate Smart Irrigation Month

Water conservation is front of mind in arid states in the West where water shortages and irrigation restrictions are a way of life. But smart water application is important nationwide, explains Andy Smith, the Irrigation Association’s state and affiliate relations director. “Water, by definition, is a finite resource,” Smith says, explaining that only 1 percent of the world’s water is available for human use (97 percent is saltwater, 2 percent is locked up in icebergs).
 
To educate contractors, legislators and end users alike, the Irrigation Association (IA) named July Smart Irrigation Month. In May, an IA delegation took the message to the Capitol to officially declare July as Smart Irrigation Month and raise awareness of efficient practices and technology.
 
As demand increases and dollars add up, conserving water becomes more than just a blip on policymakers’ radar screens. Some municipalities fight over consumption by enacting irrigation restrictions, such as shutting off the taps or every-other-day watering programs. Experts say both can backfire and spur increased consumption.
 
Using available technology to police consumption from within the industry is preferable to facing irrigation restrictions designed and imposed  by state or local government, experts says.
 
Preventive water-saving measures, the industry’s preferred method, have taken hold in some municipalities. Cases in point: the Santa Barbara Water District (Calif.) program that distributes free weather-based controllers to high-demand households and Florida’s rain sensor mandate, which has saved at least 4 billion gallons of water since 1991, according to green industry consultant Jeff Carowitz. Government-sponsored programs like these and Smart Irrigation Month only will boost the public’s knowledge of water-wise technology and practices.
 
Says Smith: “The more we can automate these routines for the consumer, the less we have to rely on human intervention to conserve water.”