The Hand Writing is in the Laws

  Brian VinchesiEveryone is talking about how the irrigation business is changing and that things will never be the same. Systems will be smaller and required to be more water efficient. There will be more drip/micro-irrigation and systems will need to be designed, installed and managed better. North Carolina pointed this out very dramatically when two new laws became effective on June 30 and July 1 that regulate landscape irrigation practices at a new level.

House Bill 89G, in effect as of June 30, regulates landscape irrigation contracting. Under the law, “no person shall engage in the practice of irrigation construction or contracting, use the designation ‘irrigation contractor’ or advertise using any title or description that implies licensure as an irrigation contractor unless the person is licensed as an irrigation contractor.”

North Carolina joins the states of Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, Texas and Rhode Island with some sort of irrigation licensure or certification requirement. However, the North Carolina regulations are a bit stricter than the others.

First, the regulators require that the irrigation system be installed “under the direct supervision of an individual licensed by the North Carolina Irrigation Contractors’ Licensing Board” whereas most other states require a license somewhere in the company. Direct supervision can be interrupted a number of different ways, but implies that the licensed individual should be directly supervising the work.

The regulations include both minimum standards and best management practices (BMPs) that cover design, installation, maintenance and management of landscape irrigation systems. A minimum standard is a required irrigation practice as of July 1. A BMP is a recommended irrigation practice.

Below is a sample of some of the more interesting design standards included in the regulations.

• A qualified (meaning certified, formally trained, licensed or similar qualifications) irrigation designer or irrigation consultant shall design the system for the efficient and uniform distribution of water.
• Drip/micro-irrigation components should be guided by the expected size of larger specimen plants through a minimum three-year establishment period for shrubs and 10 years for trees.
• All irrigation pipes (this includes laterals) shall remain below the industry standard of 5 fps.
• Minimum pipe thickness shall be SDR-21.
• All risers shall be minimum schedule 80 PVC.
• Heads must have zero overspray across or onto a street, public driveway or sidewalk.
• Check valves shall be used to minimize low-head drainage when grades exceed 5 percent.
• Controllers shall have multi-program capability with at least four start times and run time adjustments in one-minute increments.
• Hose bibs, quick couplers and yard hydrants installed shall be in a purple colored valve box even if the water supply is not effluent.
• Electrical wire splices must be waterproofed with a UL-listed device.
• Multi-strand wire may be used if it is rated for underground application and if the splicing devise used water proofs the outer most casing of the wire.
• An owner’s manual and record drawing shall be provided.

The suggested BMPs of interest include: for mainlines over 2.5 inches, use bell and gasket pipe; use an alternative non-potable water source; use a master valve on all systems with a pressurized water source; provide an irrigation design plan; and use reduced pressure zone backflow prevention design.

The new North Carolina statutes underscore that the way we will design, install, maintain and manage landscape irrigation systems is changing. Regulatory authorities are becoming increasingly aware of the amount of water that landscape irrigation systems use, and how they can reduce the amount of water used.

The irrigation contractor who embraces these practices before they are regulated will be way ahead of the competition now and in the future.

Brian Vinchesi is president of Irrigation Consulting, Inc., an irrigation design and consulting firm that designs irrigation systems throughout the world. He can be reached at irrigation@gie.net or 978-433-8972.