The Communicator - Volume 1, Issue 3 - (Page 14)

association’s GIS to document each parameter for every irrigation zone is an absolute must! No effective irrigation management program, i.e., control of water costs, can be undertaken without the following parameters: • Current weather conditions – (technically known as the real-time evapotranspiration rates, or ETo) are the single most important factor in irrigation scheduling. Weather conditions are also the most variable of all factors considered. The California Department of Water Resources provides weather information through its California Irrigation Information System (CIMIS) program (available on-line at wwwcimis.water.ca.gov/cimis/welcome.jsp). The association’s position relative to the nearest CIMIS site will determine its weather-related water requirement. Geo-referencing the association’s base layer provides this relative position. SMART irrigation controllers make weather- related changes automatically; conventional controllers require manual input. The remaining param- eters, once determined, remain relatively “fixed” and typically don’t change appreciably unless a physical change to the landscape occurs. • Plant water requirements – (technically known as its crop coefficient, or Kc) is a particular plant’s water requirement, compared to a standard. Simply stated: when conserving water is a priority, the lower a plant’s water requirement, the greater the drought tolerance. Collectively, all plant water requirements within an irrigation zone are referred as the landscape coefficient, or Kcl. Using the association’s GIS as an analytical tool, plants within one irrigation zone with greatly varying water requirements are easily identified, and provide the basis for recommended plant changes to reduce water requirements. • Microclimates – (shady, full sun, etc.) • Distribution uniformity (DU) – is an expression of how uniformly irrigation water is applied through the irrigation system. Poor coverage (low distribution uniformity) dramatically increases water requirements, and association costs. Some systems may require substantial upgrades to improve coverage. Some do not. • Precipitation rates (PR) – the amount of water being applied to each area in a given period of time (expressed as inches per hour). • Soil Types and Infiltration Rates – Soil types vary greatly throughout the Bay Area and can vary within the association. Soil type and other factors determine water infiltration rates. Precipitation rates cannot be greater than a soil’s infiltration rate or runoff will occur. This is wasteful and costly for the association. An association GIS is used to document all the above factors required for developing irrigation programs, thereby optimally irrigating the landscape based on a set of predetermined criteria. This information is used by the Certified Irrigation Manager to produce irrigation programs, or the parameters may be entered directly into a SMART controller system to produce similar programs. Regardless of the method used to produce irrigation programs, the NEUmILLER & BEARDSLEE SINCE SINCE 1903 1903 ATTORNEYS & COUNSELORS Lawyers Who Find Solutions 509 West weber ave Stockton ca 95203 (209) 948-8200 www.NEUmILLER.COm 14 • The Communicator http://wwwcimis.water.ca.gov/cimis/welcome.jsp http://wwwcimis.water.ca.gov/cimis/welcome.jsp http://www.neumiller.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Communicator - Volume 1, Issue 3

The Communicator - Volume 1, Issue 3 Contents President's Message Eyes in the Sky Down to the Last Drop Ask the Experts - Budget Your Water Usage 2008 Events & Educational Calendar Welcome to CAI BayCen Index to Advertisers

The Communicator - Volume 1, Issue 3

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.