Focal Pointe is celebrating Smart Irrigation Month by helping customers save water, save money, and see better results.
Smart Irrigation Month is an initiative of the Irrigation Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting efficient irrigation. Each July (traditionally the month of peak outdoor water use), this public awareness campaign highlights simple practices and innovative technologies to conserve water and minimize overwatering while keeping lawns, gardens, and landscapes beautiful and healthy.
July is historically the driest month in the St. Louis area. On average, we receive 3.5” of rainfall but we lose 7.6” of water from evaporation and transpiration of water through plants. That’s a 4.1” deficit our irrigation systems have to make up!
One of the ways Focal Pointe is promoting water conservation is through an initiative to help customers convert their irrigation systems to smart, connected systems. These highly efficient systems can reduce water usage by as much as 30%.
While great systems can be as high as 70% efficient the average irrigation system is only 50% efficient. That means it takes 2” of water to get 1” of water into the soil. So where is all of this wasted water going?
- Run-off occurs when soils don’t have enough time to soak up the water. If water is put out faster than it can be absorbed, the water runs off and ends up in our storm drains.
- As water is sprayed out of your sprinkler nozzles it evaporates. Too much pressure makes this worse by vaporizing the water as it “fogs” out of the nozzles.
- Poor design such as heads being spaced too far apart, wrong sprinkler heads for the zone, and watering shade and sun areas on the same zone can lead to wasted water. Controllers are often set to run longer than needed to make up for poor design and poor coverage.
What can you do to increase efficiency and reduce your water usage?
- Installing a smart, connected irrigation controller will save 30% of water usage. Smart controllers use weather conditions to determine when and how much irrigation needs to take place and reduce run-off.
- Installing rain sensors can save 10% of your water usage by simply turning off your irrigation system when it’s raining.
- Installing pressure regulators and replacing spray nozzles with high-efficiency nozzles can save 10% of water usage.
For more information on smart, connected irrigation systems and other ways you can reduce your water usage contact your account manager or call the Focal Pointe office:
Illinois: (618) 398-9000
St. Louis: (314) 414-9500
Springfield, MO: (417) 496-7557