Category: Innovation

  • Water Rates on the Rise: 6 Ways to Save [Infographic]

    Ben Franklin wrote, “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” The new addendum should be, “and the rising cost of water.” USA Today, The Oregonian, ValleyCrest Takes On and now Fast Company have taken notice, attributing the water rate increases to aging infrastructure and the rising cost of energy. Regardless of the reasons, water rate increases have us all feeling squeezed whether it be your personal family income or property management budget. The good thing is, there is something you can do about it.

    Water-saving solutions

    The infographic below presents a quick picture of just how much a variety of water management solutions can improve water use efficiency on your property and in turn, protect you from having to pay more and more year-over-year to your local water agency. Given water rate increase projections for many cities across the US, we all need to be implementing smarter water-use solutions just to keep our water bill from going up.

    Aging water infrastructure isn’t just a public problem

    A colleague brought up an interesting point in a conversation on water management last week. He compared our irrigation system to car maintenance. We all think about putting a little money into savings each month to account for ongoing issues we might have with our vehicles. For some reason, most of us don’t think about our irrigation systems in the same way. Many of our irrigation systems have costly leaks or outdated equipment that add up to A LOT of water waste every year. In today’s water rate environment, we can’t afford to turn a blind eye any longer.

    Please take a moment to comment below if you have tried any of the water saving solutions noted in the infographic, or if you have other ideas you can share for reducing your water footprint.

    Ways to Save Water Infographic

  • Water Management 102

    Each day I become more aware how important it is to educate customers about proper water management.  When customers understand the premises of water management, they value the benefits of certifications, case studies, and training a professional contractor provides through a team of expert water managers.

    Trilogy at Glen Ivy is a development that understands the value of proper water management.  It is located in the heart of Southern California’s Temescal Valley less than an hour from Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and Palm Springs. With its varied geography and spectacular views, this is one of the Inland Empire’s most beautiful, and best-located communities. The property also has an extensive irrigation system including 59 controllers and over 2,000 sprinkler valves which require knowledgeable onsite full-time irrigation technicians.  The Temescal Valley averages less than 10 inches of rain a year, so proper irrigation management is essential.

    Taking Water Management to the Next Level

    Because of the community’s understanding of irrigation and advanced water management, Jonathan Caceres, ValleyCrest Irrigation and Water Manager for Trilogy, implemented advanced water management solutions. Jonathan worked closely with Ken Gibson, General Manager, from Merit Property Management and they went beyond the typical 10 easy ways to make your landscape more water efficient.  Below are some of the more advanced strategies Jonathan implemented to reduce water use on the property.

    Improved Filtration of Non-Potable Water

    Due to poor water quality much of our irrigation technician’s time was spent unclogging nozzles that drastically reduced their efficiency of conducting preventative maintenance inspections.  We replaced several thousand clogged spray nozzles with MPR nozzles.

    Improve Irrigation Scheduling

    Default settings for ET based controllers are set to provide turf with the full amount of water required to keep it in prime condition. In order to conserve water we reprogrammed the controllers to a stricter setting and monitor the quality of the turf for signs of stress. Most local water agencies set water allocations at about 85% of turf’s required water based on ET.

    Pressure Regulation

    Due to significant elevation changes along Trilogy Parkway there are drastic changes in operating pressures. The optimum operating pressure for spray heads is 30 PSI. Pressure readings taken along Trilogy Parkway showed some areas to be as high as 90 PSI. When a spray head operates at this high pressure, the volume of water emitted by the spray head increases exponentially and the water is distributed with much less efficiency. The high pressure causes about 50% of the water emitted to drift off and evaporate. We recommended the installation of pressure regulators at various points along the mainline and will now evaluate whether there are individual valves remaining that require additional regulation.

    Retrofit Turf Areas to California Friendly Landscapes

    Turf conversions would not only save water, but also improve the aesthetics of the property. ValleyCrest landscape designers provided several options of drought tolerant plant solutions with year round color and drip irrigation enhancements using water more efficiently than spray heads. We have converted approximately 1.5 acres of overhead spray to drip irrigation. These include the clubhouse parking lot shrub areas, and various shrub slopes throughout the community. We also converted turf medians to drought tolerant plants. The community converted non-functional turf areas to bocce ball courts and horseshoe pits.

    Working with an educated customer and General Manager from Merit Property Management allowed us to move forward with this project in time for the hot summer season.  We expect significant reductions in water as a result of the improvements.  We will provide a follow-up post in the fall to let you know how it went.

    Jonathan Caceres – ValleyCrest Landscape Maintenance

    Regional Irrigation Advisor – Inland Empire

    Jonathan graduated in Sociology with a minor in Management from Cal Poly Pomona and went on to continue his education in Landscape Architecture at UCLA Extension. Jonathan has 5 years experience in the industry and has been with ValleyCrest since 2009. Jonathan has played a vital role in the Inland Empire Region helping clients save water by ensuring that their irrigation systems are operating as efficiently as possible. Jonathan currently holds the following certifications:

    • IA Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor
    • IA Certified Landscape Water Manager
    • ISA Certified Arborist #WE-9384A
    • US EPA WaterSense Partner
    • Certified Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester
    • Recycled, Agricultural and Raw Water Use Site Supervisor

    Richard Restuccia follow me on twitter @ H2oTrends

  • If You Have a Problem We Have a Solution.

    BACKGROUND

    The scenic canyon location of this Santa Ynez community is a major draw for residents who enjoy views from the Santa Monica Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. But the hillside slopes surrounding the community proved problematic for the homeowners’ association. Faced with an aging irrigation system prone to breaking, the board decided to take action to prevent costly water loss from ruptures and to address serious soil erosion problems threatening homes.

    PROJECT SCOPE

    Santa Ynez Homeowners’ Association was experiencing breaks in their dated irrigation system lines and were wasting vast amounts of water. They had no automated way to see when breaks were occurring so the property management team did not know where they were until someone reported them.

    ValleyCrest performed an irrigation retrofit after an assessment of the system confirmed Santa Ynez Homeowners’ Association would benefit from flow sensors and master valves. These affordable devices were installed to detect excessive flow and automatically shut down the irrigation system when breaks, malfunctions or vandalism occur. Flow sensors measure the amount of water passing through an irrigation line and communicate that information to the irrigation controller. If the flow is excessively high or water is flowing when it shouldn’t be flowing, the irrigation is shut down. As a result of the installation of flow sensors and master valves, when a break occurs the water is turned off and the chance for damage from leaking water is significantly reduced.

    The other major outcome of the assessment identified the lack of smart controllers which are becoming the standard for any large property’s irrigation system. Using smart controllers can automatically adjust irrigation on a daily basis and efficiently apply water as needed.

    Galvanized irrigation lines on landscaped slopes also needed to be replaced to update the aging system and avoid breaks.  Backflow prevention devices were also installed to protect the HOA’s water supply from contamination and pressure regulators were installed to reduce breaks caused by excessive water hammer and ensure efficient operation.

    RESULTS

    Over the course of four months, ValleyCrest replaced over 4,500 feet of galvanized pipe, installed 12 Hunter Controllers with SolarSync, 10 backflow devices and 12 flow sensors and master valves.

    The property now has an efficient irrigation system that can efficiently irrigate the rugged slopes without fear of breaks. Plant material is thriving where there were bare spots and water is not being wasted. The community can enjoy the landscape enhancements, protected slopes and improved property values because of a smart investment in its irrigation system.

    WATER MANAGEMENT IS MORE THAN FIXING SPRINKLERS.

    It’s about making greener choices, being water wise and meeting the needs of your landscape.

     

  • A Story of Rebates, Smarter Water Use and 34% Water Savings

    With all of the other issues that board members and managers wrestle with day to day, landscaping may not be at the top of their minds. But the cost of inefficiencies can add up.

    A typical community association uses nearly double the amount of water needed to maintain a healthy landscape. Often, boards and managers don’t know how much water they are using.

    In response to California’s ongoing drought, the community of Westaire in Martinez, Calif., wanted to conserve water and take advantage of several rebate and incentive programs offered by the Contra Costa Water District.

    Westaire is a residential community with more than 360 single-family homes. It has a variety of plants, including grass, shrubs and trees. The landscape conditions range from flat lawns to slopes, making efficient irrigation challenging.

    By upgrading its irrigation equipment and improving its water management techniques, Westaire was able to significantly reduce water runoff, conserve water and save money on its water bills.

    To achieve the savings, smart controllers were installed which capture data such as sprinkler type, slope degree, soil type, plant maturity, sun exposure and root depth. Field data is entered into the controller’s website, which then uses local weather information to calculate the appropriate watering schedule.

    After the rebates from the Contra Costa County Water District, Westaire’s out-of-pocket expenses for installation and equipment were about $2,500. in the first year, Westaire saved $10,455 on its water bill, paying 34 percent less than the previous year.  It took less than three months for the community to see a return on its investment.

    Richard Restuccia

     

  • Bringing You the Latest Water-Saving Ideas By the Hundreds

    ValleyCrest is teaming up with Hunter to give away 100 Hunter® Wireless Rain-Clik™ rain sensors, one a day for 100 days. Part of the ValleyCrestTakesOn.com “100 days, 100 ways” campaign, the drawing is designed to call attention to the national water crisis and the strategies and technologies that could help avert it. (Like, say, 100 fewer people running their sprinklers in the rain.) Winners will be announced here starting August 1st. But check back every day for more new ways of saving — and thinking about — water.

    Sign up to win a wireless rain sensor at: win.valleycresttakeson.com