AgdaPkt 2002-11-04 - Laserfiche WebLink

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1. Landscape area measurements 2. Observations of irrigation system conditions and deficiencies 3. Testing of the technical performance of the irrigation system 4. Generation of irrigation schedules 5. Survey report and information packet to customers Each element is a part of the curriculum of basic landscape water auditor training administered by the Irrigation Training and Research Center, Cai Poly San Luis Obispo, and the Irrigation Association. Details of these survey tasks are described in the Landscape Water Management Handbook (Waller and Kah, 1993). Task 2.1. Inventory of Accounts This is the same as Task 1.1, but includes the additional step of extracting data fi.om the customer databases for the specific purpose of conducting water use surveys. Task 2.2. Targeting BMP 5 stipulates that signatories offer water surveys to at least 20% of their commercial, institutional and industrial customers each reporting period. To maximize the cost- effectiveness of the water survey program, participating BAWUA members should target sites likely to provide the greatest water use savings. Contractor will consider three factors to target prospective sites: water use analysis, site size, and site management. 1. Water Use Analysis. Although estimates of the amount of water used for irrigation at mixed-use sites are often inexact, having an approximate assessment of the magnitude of irrigation can be useful in targeting. In general, it is more cost-effective to conduct surveys at larger landscape sites because survey costs do not increase significantly with site size (i.e., surveys have many fixed costs) and the amount of water to be potentially saved tends to be greater at larger sites. Hence, contractor will rank water customers by estimated irrigation use, giving higher priority to higher water using sites. 2. Site Size. Cost-effectiveness does not always improve with site size. In fact, it may be that water surveys ofmidsized landscape sites (0.5 to 5 acres) offer the best returns. Because the largest sites (over 5 acres) are more likely to be mn by concerned and motivated site managers, irrigation efficiency tends to be good. It is in the midrange where irrigation use is still significant and site managers tend to be less attentive to irrigation performance that water surveys may provide the most "bang for the buck." Hence, contractor will also target these sites. 3. Site Management. Type of landscape management or ownership can be an indicator of irrigation performance. Some customer groups have notoriously high consumption relative to irrigated acreage such as business parks and homeowner associations, while parks and schools tend to use water much more conservatively. At some sites, landscape managers pay prompt attention to irrigation system performance, leaks, and irrigation scheduling. At other sites, A4 961514.0 4