SUBSURFACE IRRIGATION INSTALLATION FOR TURF USING INLINE NETAFIM TUBING
Water is arguably the most valuable resource in arid climatesNEVADA is the most arid state in the nation. Reno has an annual rainfall of less than 7 inches a year. A typical bluegrass turf will require about 35 inches of water per year. If you water with a high efficiency (65%) sprinkler system and manage the irrigation system correctly the amount of water required will be about
SPRINKLER SYSTEMS are inefficient. A properly designed, properly installed, and properly maintained rotor or fixed spray irrigation systems only achieve a 60% to 70% efficiency. A sprinkler system that is poorly designed, poorly installed, and poorly maintained can easily have an efficiency of 30% to 50% efficiency or less. It is not uncommon for 50% of water purchased for irrigation to be wasted. |
WETTING PATTERN
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SMART IRRIGATION
SMART IRRIGATION is the efficient use of water. Efficiency in irrigation is achieved through the integration of two elements: 1) an efficient irrigation system design which considers the soil conditions, micro climates, plant material, and achieves a high distribution uniformity of the water being applied, through a network of pipe, efficient sprinkler heads, or low volume emission devices, control valves, and system controller that are well installed and well maintained, 2) the management of that system in response to the changing or seasonal irrigation demand of the landscape.
There is a lot of effort directed at improving the efficiency of sprinkler heads in an effort to apply water evenly over a given area. Currently peak spray type irrigation efficiencies of 60% to 70% are the best we can do with the available technology. Poorly designed, poorly installed, or even good systems that are poorly maintained may have efficiencies of less than 35%. So systems are fairly inefficient in the best case, and if you add poor management to that system, efficiencies fall dramatically and a lot of water is wasted - as much as 70%.
"Smart controllers" use locally gathered weather information (your very own backyard weather station); historical ET (evapotranspiration) data which is used to program the controller; or real time weather data received through wireless signal or internet connection. The intent is to adjust the sprinkler run times to real time needs to provide the right amount of irrigation automatically without the need for human effort.
Our philosophy on irrigation is to build the most efficient system with the caveat the "simplest system is the best system". We have a lot of experience with 'smart controllers' as well as subsurface irrigation systems. For some applications these high technology solutions are practical but often times overly complicate the management of an irrigation system, where simpler practices can achieve superior results.
There is a lot of effort directed at improving the efficiency of sprinkler heads in an effort to apply water evenly over a given area. Currently peak spray type irrigation efficiencies of 60% to 70% are the best we can do with the available technology. Poorly designed, poorly installed, or even good systems that are poorly maintained may have efficiencies of less than 35%. So systems are fairly inefficient in the best case, and if you add poor management to that system, efficiencies fall dramatically and a lot of water is wasted - as much as 70%.
"Smart controllers" use locally gathered weather information (your very own backyard weather station); historical ET (evapotranspiration) data which is used to program the controller; or real time weather data received through wireless signal or internet connection. The intent is to adjust the sprinkler run times to real time needs to provide the right amount of irrigation automatically without the need for human effort.
Our philosophy on irrigation is to build the most efficient system with the caveat the "simplest system is the best system". We have a lot of experience with 'smart controllers' as well as subsurface irrigation systems. For some applications these high technology solutions are practical but often times overly complicate the management of an irrigation system, where simpler practices can achieve superior results.
We are members of the Irrigation Association, the leading national irrigation management advocacy group