Is your irrigation system wasting water? More than likely.
Water conservation in the landscape depends on intelligent use of water resources. Since many landscape professionals rely on irrigation systems to supplement water that plants receive from rainfall, keeping these systems functioning properly is key to conserving water.
Experience and education are the cornerstones to effective water management. In an effort to standardize and improve the level of knowledge and proficiency industry-wide, the Irrigation Association introduced landscape auditor certification in 1983. Irrigation Association certification as a Landscape Irrigation Auditor indicates that the successful applicant has:
- Demonstrated a minimum of one year of irrigation-related work experience.
- Passed a written exam on the principles and practices of auditing.
- Submit an independently completed audit verified by an IA-certified professional in good standing.
- Agreed to follow the Code of Ethics established by the IA Certification Board.
- Submit 20 continuing education units per 2-year cycle
Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditors are involved in gathering irrigation water-use data and testing landscape irrigation systems. Auditors compile water records, perform water-use studies, measure irrigated sites, determine irrigation water requirements and estimate potential dollar and water savings.
Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditors observe system operations, locate irrigation zones, prepare site audit maps and visually identify broken or misaligned equipment. They can also summarize data from field tests and may use this information to generate monthly irrigation base schedules.
An irrigation audit can uncover many small problems that lead to big savings – you would be surprised at the water savings that can be achieved with a few small adjustments and retrofits. Depending on the size of your system and how it’s being used, water savings of 50% or more can be achieved & the return on investment for an irrigation audit and recommended repairs will generally be less than 2 years.
An audit is not something you do once a year and then forget about. Irrigation systems must be managed consistently and regularly to account for the changes that happen in the weather and the landscape.
