Smart Sprinklers

Lawn Sprinkler

Have you talked to your sprinkler today?

Maybe you should. It might tell you it shouldn't be on and that you're wasting precious water. Of course, an intelligent conversation with a sprinkler is impossible.

But that doesn't mean your sprinkler couldn't be turned on or off depending on weather conditions. New weather-based irrigation controllers make that a possibility.

Here's how they work. Shortly after installation, a weather-based controller starts talking to your local weather station. It gets data about things like rainfall, air temperature, and wind speed. It then uses those data to figure out how much water your plants will need and how much will be lost to evaporation. It turns on the sprinklers to deliver just the right amount.

All this work saves water and money. A recent test of smart irrigation controllers in Portland, Oregon, shows what's possible. The twelve controllers reduced water use by twenty two percent and saved three million gallons of water. The weather-based controllers also eliminated the need for people to monitor and adjust irrigation schedules.

Maybe it's time you had that talk with your sprinkler...

Script by Dan Maxwell

Discovery Links

To learn more about today’s topic, please explore the links below:

• Portland Water Bureau
• Western Municipal Water District
• Rain Bird Landscape Irrigation
• Weather or Sensor-Based Irrigation Control - EPA