Irrigation&Drainage Smart Irrigation Month:
Why it’s Important to Sports Turf Managers Editor’s note: This article was supplied by Warren S. Gorowitz, Ewing Irrigation, Vice President–Sustainability & Conservation, and Danny Motylewski, Hunter Industries, Business Development–Water Conservation.
WHAT IS SMART IRRIGATION MONTH? July has been deemed Smart Irrigation Month, first launched in 2005 by the Irrigation Associa- tion. In most areas July is typically the month of peak irrigation demand. The focus of Smart Irriga- tion Month is to promote the use of efficient irri- gation products and water conservation practices to the public. This includes reviewing your irriga- tion system’s performance thru an irrigation audit as well as evaluating your irrigation system’s vari- ous components to ensure they are saving water and energy. Experts on the Field; Partners in the Game: What does it mean to a Turf Manager? As a sports turf manager your priority is to provide a safe playing surface for those who use your fields. With the increased focus on sustainability every- one in the Green Industry needs to use our re- sources as efficiently as possible. Why not use SMART Irrigation Month as an opportunity to show your supervisors, players and the public what you’re doing to use water efficiently at your facility? By understanding the difference of irriga- tion “uniformity” (how uniformly the water is being applied to an area) versus “efficiency” (how efficiently the plant uses the amount of water being applied), are some of the first steps to being a better water manager.
WHY IRRIGATION AUDITS ARE IMPORTANT In order to understand how your irrigation sys- tem is performing, doing an irrigation audit is
Why not use SMART Irrigation Month as an opportunity to show your supervisors, players and the public what you’re doing to use water efficiently at your facility?
36 SportsTurf | July 2011 www.sportsturfonline.com
