Water Issues that Affect the Georgia Home Gardener

1
Water Issues that Affect the Georgia Home Gardener

• Dan Thomas, Ph.D., P.E.
• Professor
• University of Georgia
• Biological Agricultural Engineering Dept.

2
Why be concerned?

• Statewide and local restrictions on outside water
  use
• based on priorities for water resources
• Drinking/consumption
• Agriculture
• Industry
• Other landscape and outside uses

3
What can you do?

• Improve your irrigation system (along with the
  plants)
• Improve the management of your irrigation system
• Take advantage of water saving technologies

4
Basic irrigation components of interest

• Rotors (impact and gear driven)
• Sprays
• Drip (micro sprays)

5
Basic definitions to remember

• Application amount
• Application rate
• Application uniformity
• Application efficiency

Note It is common to confuse uniformity and
efficiency
6
New Program

• UGA, College of Agricultural and Environmental
  Sciences Landscape Irrigation Auditing Program
  for Small Communities
• Currently being prototyped in Douglas, GA (Coffee
  County)

7
Landscape irrigation auditing for small
communities

• Evaluation of existing system conditions
• Visit with the user, assessment of
  sprinklers/rotors (nozzles), spray heads, drip,
  schedules/time clock settings, leaks, pressure,
  may include a uniformity analysis
• Recommendations for improvement

8
Uniformity Analysis?

• Determine whether the irrigation system is
  supplying water uniformly

9
Uniformity Analysis

• Installing cups
• Running system
• Collecting data
• Using the new uniformity computer program

10
Assessing the Irrigation SystemPotential
Problems

• Leaks
• Off-site applications

11
Assessing the Irrigation SystemPotential
Problems

• Same size nozzle in full/part circle sprinklers
  on the same zone/valve
• Spray heads and rotors mixed on the same
  zone/valve

12
Assessing the Irrigation SystemPotential
Problems

• Safety issues

13
Assessing Management Practices

• All zones irrigated the same length of time
  regardless of the irrigation system type (rotor,
  spray head, drip/trickle)
• Time clocks
• No change for season
• Too much for spray zones
• Setting time clock properly can fix some
  efficiency problems
• Matching plant needs with the schedule
• Odd/even watering schedule
• May be too frequent, add too little water,
  encourage shallow root growth (sprinkler zones)

14
Communicating the results and important
information to the Customer(s)

• Visiting with the customer on site
• Providing a report of findings, with
  recommendations
• Providing a report to the community with
• Problems that were observed more than once
• Recommendations for potentialincentive programs
  that might be effective in encouraging water
  users to improve irrigation systems and
  management practices

15
Technologies for better water management
Irrigation Scheduling
UGA EASY PAN IRRIGATION SCHEDULER

• Simple systems for sprinkler applications
• Relatively inexpensive
• Relatively easy to install, operate and maintain
• Does not require extensive data management or
  computer skill
• Manages excess and deficit water conditions
• Working on a prototype for landscape/garden
  applications (smaller pan could paint
  flowers/rabbits on the side!)

16
Technologies for better water management

• Rain shut-off systems
• Location, location, location!

17
Effects of state and local watering restrictions

• Odd/even watering restrictions can save water
• 24-7 restrictions save a lot of water (but
  landscape suffers)!

18
Challenges for the future? Legislative Issues?

• We will likely continue to deal with weather
  extremes, either drought or flood
• We will likely see additional water management
  groups in different parts of the state (current
  Atlanta Metropolitan Water District, followed by
  (?) Flint River Basin, Upper Suwannee Basin,
  Coastal Zone, )

19
Changes for the future? Legislative Issues?

• 2003 legislation will likely result from the
  Governors Water Planning Study Committee
• 2002 water legislation may be limited (or
  non-existent) until the study committee has
  completed their work
• Take advantage of opportunities to become
  involved in the water planning process for the
  future
• YOU ARE THE STAKEHOLDERS!
• This presentation is available at
• http//www.cpes.peachnet.edu/webfiles/kharrison
• Water Issues.Home Gardener.ppt