Irrigation technology, maintenance, scheduling, leaks, smart controllers, system performance

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Free Smart Irrigation Controllers Reduced Outdoor Water Use by 17% in Spanish Fork, Utah

By Kevin Poirier Rowe By reducing complexity, the city of Spanish Fork nudged homeowners to make significant irrigation reductions, which helped to save on costly infrastructure upgrades. In 2018, Spanish Fork was managing growing peak demand…
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Where is Outdoor Water Use the Highest?

By Steve Whitesell Outdoor municipal water demand in the United States is heavily concentrated in a small group of large, warm, and often arid states, which also experience the largest seasonal spikes in landscape irrigation.  Using state‑level…
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Case Study: Belén Found a Cheaper Way to Save Water – With Smiley Stickers

By Kevin Poirier Rowe Rate hikes and awareness campaigns made little difference. But being compared to the neighbors – with a smiley or a frowny face on water bills – cut water use by 5%.  Households in the municipality were using about…
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Water Utility Campaign Drove 600% Homeowner Demand for Expert Help

Custom reports comparing households to their neighbors motivated a sixfold rise in home-audit requests and more than doubled enrollment in conservation programs. In 2012, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) in northern California…
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The Knowledge Gap Between Homeowners and Irrigation Specialists Is Worth 390 Billion Gallons a Year

By Steve Whitesell, Executive Editor Smart irrigation can save the average household with in-ground irrigation up to 15,000 gallons annually, when a certified specialist calibrates it to the property's soil, climate, and plant types. When…
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Why Drip Irrigation Fails Many Homeowners

Contributors: Steve Whitesell, Debby Dunn, Darin Ayres, Drip irrigation promises precision water delivery and significant savings. It waters plant root zones directly, minimizes evaporation, and reduces runoff. In theory, it's the most efficient…
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How Barrie, Ontario Cut Household Water Use by 30% in One Year

The water conservation campaign allowed them to postpone costly infrastructure upgrades for 7 years – and future-proofed the system for a growing population.  In the mid-1990s, Barrie, Ontario, faced a looming water supply problem. Over…
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Why Affluent Neighborhoods Use Outdoor Water Inefficiently

Affluent neighborhoods and HOA-managed properties should be conservation success stories. They have the resources for efficient systems, professional management, and regular maintenance. Instead, they're often the most inefficient. The problem…
51 Facts About Residential Water Use
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51 Water Facts to Transform Residential Water Use

In this article, The Healthy Green Spaces Coalition explores 51 of the most compelling current water facts. This statistical collection showcases how informed landscaping choices and efficient water practices enable communities to conserve resources,…
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Why Controllers Run on Summer Schedules All Year: Water Efficiency Roundup

Irrigation controller mismanagement and poor scheduling represent a massive opportunity for water efficiency that have nothing to do with equipment failure.  Research shows 30-60% of irrigation water is wasted, and inappropriate schedules…

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