Total Landscape Care Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/106599
irrigation on't D Fear the By Ken Wysocky Irrigation audits give landscapers a new tool to reduce customer costs and use water more efficiently. F or many business owners, audits are about as popular as broadleaf weeds on a new lawn. But there's one kind of audit that landscapers who install irrigation systems should embrace: irrigation audits, which can lower their customers' water bills, promote sustainable water-management practices while developing "green" credibility and help their companies stand out among competitors. "Would you spend $50,000 on a nice sports utility vehicle and then never get the oil changed or check on whether the alignment or tire pressure is correct?" asks Brent Mecham, industry development director for the Irrigation Association (IA). The IA is a group that represents irrigation equipment and system manufacturers, designers, contractors, end users and others (irrigation.org). "Irrigation audits are no different," he adds. "Why invest $100,000 on landscaping and then assume the irrigation system will perform great for the rest of its life?" Generally speaking, irrigation audits involve two steps. First, the auditor verifies the correct irrigation components have been installed and work properly. Second, the auditor uses catch-can tests to reveal two key metrics: water distribution uniformity and application rates. "The former indicates how well the system functions, and the latter is essential to creating proper irrigation schedules…ensuring the system runs the f e b r u a r y 2013 TLC0213_Irrigation.indd 21 TotalLa nd s ca p e C a re . c o m 21 1/24/13 11:18 AM