At 322 billion gallons per day for overall water use, the figures for 2015 alone are startling. Outdoor water usage (in the main for landscape irrigation purposes) averaged more than 9 billion gallons per day. The good news in 2015’s numbers was that we were using 9% less water overall than when the last survey data was compiled in 2010. However, to counterbalance that good news, the water used for irrigation between 2010 and 2015 increased by 2%.
Water Withdrawals On The Increase in Florida
Despite conservation efforts and continuing progress in reducing water use, population-driven water needs such as domestic, recreational, landscape irrigation and power generation are significant. Water withdrawals (total volumes removed from lakes or rivers) in Florida have changed significantly over the 40 years between 1975 and the time of the last USGS survey of 2015.
However, as you might expect, increased use in some areas during this period has been offset by a reduction in use in others. For example, freshwater withdrawals due to increased urbanization, large gains in population and more acreage under irrigation were offset by decreases in withdrawals of water for power generation and commercial-industrial-mining.
Traditional Systems Have Inbuilt Inefficiencies
In the world of agriculture, pre-programmed water scheduling for irrigation control has given way to smart controllers and the technology has been in use for decades in the industry. The uptake in smart tech for irrigating landscapes on the domestic/commercial front however has been slower to gain ground, especially in older, more established locations and communities. This is despite the fact that, when it comes to irrigation, we’re still wasting water due to the inbuilt inefficiencies in traditional systems.
Irrigation Technology Is Vital to Any Landscape Project Today
We believe it’s important to create understanding around what smart irrigation is, and why, more than ever, it has to be an integral part of any landscape project. It really does fit into a responsible attitude toward water use and conservation. It really doesn't make any sense any more to be installing anything less than the most effective water delivery solutions at our disposal - from the irrigation pumps to the sprinklers.
How are smart controllers used?
Irrigation systems use smart controllers to automatically create customized watering schedules and run times to meet the distinct irrigation needs of land under cultivation – whether that’s a field of corn, a golf course, residential community or city park gardens. These controllers play a major role in improving irrigation water use efficiencies. The difference between these and non-smart irrigation controllers is the automatic monitoring and adjustment. Traditional controllers work on preset programs and timers that have to be manually adjusted. Smart irrigation controllers are triggered by changes in weather or soil moisture on the site, adjusting watering schedules and run times based on weather, soil conditions, evaporation rates and even plant water uptake. At any given time, variations in outdoor temperature, sprinkler application rate and rainfall for example will elicit a corresponding variation in the watering and/or run times. Furthermore, these changes can be applied differently across individual irrigation zones so every blade of grass gets exactly the right amount of water.
Not all smart irrigation controllers use the same basis for their calculations and there are essentially two types – each using information gathered by sensors. Some adjust schedules based on weather information to calculate evapotranspiration (ET) rates while others use on-site soil moisture information gathered using moisture sensors placed strategically in the soil.
Your choice of controller will depend on the geography and climate of your location and the particular landscape and plant types you want to irrigate. Based on this premise, it's also common to use different types of sensor across different areas of a landscape, especially when large acreages are being irrigated.
Soil Moisture Sensor-Based Controllers
These do what they say – sense the amount of moisture in the soil. Soil moisture content is measured using any one of several well-established technologies. Whatever the technology used, the moisture sensors are placed in the root zone of plants – turf, shrubs, trees – and from there transmit the data to the controller in order for it to do its work.
To complicate the selection process (a little) there are two types of systems using soil moisture sensor data. The first provides “water on demand”. The irrigation duration period is not programmed manually other than start times and days of the week to irrigate. The user sets lower and upper thresholds for moisture levels – when these are met, irrigation will either start or stop.
The second type of system based on soil moisture sensor data is known as a “suspended cycle irrigation system” and uses traditional timer controls to set watering times and duration. When sensors indicate there is enough moisture in the soil, the system is programmed to not run the next irrigation cycle on the schedule.
Weather-data Based Irrigation Controllers
Evapotranspiration (ET) controllers, as weather-based smart controllers are also known, use local weather and evapotranspiration data to trigger real-time, automatic adjustments in irrigation schedules. In simple terms, weather activity information (wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity and solar radiation levels) is combined with calculations about the rate of water loss (transpiration) from the surface of plants (leaves, stems and flowers) and water evaporation from the surface of the soil into the atmosphere.
Weather/ET controllers are arguably the most effective way to control and calibrate irrigation, as they use real-time data to calculate a landscape’s specific needs at any given time. In fact, weather-based controllers have dominated the global smart irrigation controller market since 2018 and it is anticipated this position will be maintained for the foreseeable future.
As with soil-moisture based controllers, there is a range of weather-based controllers based primarily on the 3 main ways they collect data:
- Signal-based controllers receive publicly available meteorological data and wirelessly-delivered ET data collected and calculated from a grassed area (or areas) on-site. The irrigation is controlled automatically using information from these two sources.
- Historic water-use based controllers are pre-programmed with past water-use data. The information is then used to calculate probable irrigation needs. The programmed water-use curve can be adjusted with solar radiation and temperature data.
- On-site weather measurement controllers, as the name suggests, use weather data collected at the site and from this, make continuous real-time calculations about ET rates. The irrigation system automatically responds to landscape water requirements based on these calculations.
The Game-Changing Decoder
All the weather or moisture data in the world won’t make the opening and closing of the irrigation valves happen efficiently. The decoder is a technology that controls the irrigation valves and it’s fair to say that in the irrigation world, they’re considered transformational - and for good reason. Without getting too technical, the decoders used in the irrigation industry (with the exception of older systems) are 2-wire decoders. These connect to a wire path that originates from the irrigation controller. Each decoder receives its signal and its power from the same wire path so they can operate the opening and closing of individual irrigation valve solenoids. This arrangement makes it possible to install several irrigation stations along the same wire path, the valves opening and closing as required based on the data received from the sensors.
Without this crucial, game-changing piece of equipment, each irrigation valve solenoid would require a separate wire. Why is this key? Well, decoders use less wire, so installations are carried out faster – and at a lower cost. In addition, they allow for easy expansion of a system - they’re capable of controlling a large number of valves over significant distances. In terms of wiring alone, think adding in extra decoders as opposed to running extra wires to each new irrigation station. With a fewer number of wires to troubleshoot, and easier detection and diagnostics, a qualified, experienced technician is able to conduct fault-finding and diagnosis more quickly - with a commensurate reduction in irrigation downtime for repairs. For the property owner or irrigation manager, this is a major advantage.
Good For Saving Water and Saving Money
Big data analytics and advancements in communication technologies mean that smart irrigation controllers are set to play an even bigger role in the drive to conserve water and energy use globally. The growth is largely attributed to the increasing demand for water conservation, wildlife conservation, smarter agricultural and landscape management practices and increased energy cost savings.
Government policies supporting the use of smart irrigation tech in both agricultural and non-agricultural spheres are also driving the adoption of smart irrigation controllers for domestic, commercial and agricultural use.
Commercial and residential users can all benefit from the opportunities for cost and water savings, managing water demand and water-use schedules more effectively.
The increased amount of weather and soil data that’s been gathered is now being properly analysed leading to more accurate calculations and a corresponding accuracy in effective irrigation scheduling and application.
Good For Plant Health and a Beautiful Landscape
Smarter irrigation scheduling is also good for plants, it’s key for improving nutrient uptake, managing pests and for an overall healthy landscape – and that’s important whether you’re a homeowner who just wants a lovely, healthy lawn, a landscape management professional or you grow crops on an industrial scale.
A Look at Today - and into the Future
So here’s a scenario for you. Today is the day your new, total irrigation solution, complete with smart tech came online. What are some of the benefits you’ll experience?
- Your system will produce data remotely for regulatory purposes - with no more site visits for annual readings, you could save $1000’s a year.
- If you pay for your water, irrigation water spend will be lower because you’ll use less water, more efficiently.
- Your irrigation energy spend will be lower because your pumps will be operating more efficiently.
- Your landscape management costs will be less because your irrigation will be more finely tuned to its needs
- Your landscape will look its very best at all times of the year while costing less to maintain. Fewer complaints and more compliments!
- Your irrigation operation is fully managed with one fully-integrated system - from the water source to the pump station to the sprinkler nozzles.
- Irrigation zone performance is verified on every irrigation cycle by the automatic zone-testing intelligence system. Nothing ever gets overlooked. So you control your irrigation 24/7, 365 days a year.
- You’ll get automatic irrigation status reports direct to your inbox or your phone.
- You’ll get irrigation management support whenever you need help or advice.
- You’ll have access to constant improvements to the system if you want them.
Sounds good doesn’t it?