Guy Fipps, PhD, Principal Investigator

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Rio Grande Basin InitiativesTask 2 Texas
Accomplishments 2005-2006
Guy Fipps, PhD, Principal Investigator Chris
Braden, PhD, Project Coordinator Texas
Cooperative Extension Irrigation Technology
Center http//itc.tamu.edu/
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Irrigation Technology Center

• Tied to Texas AM San Antonio campus
• Legislature must approve 80 million in tuition
  revenue bonds in a special session
• Special session to convene April 17, 2006
• The city must purchase the land for the proposed
  site

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New Landscape Irrigation Short Course

• Global Positioning Systems (GPS) for Landscape
  Irrigation
• Course Overview
• Covers general use of GPS and how GPS can be
  applied to landscape irrigation systems
• Students will gain knowledge in general GPS use
  and site mapping
• 8 hour course offered in a computer classroom
  setting with outdoor experience
• Course offering Summer 2006 in College Station, TX

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Short Courses Offered

• Landscape Irrigation Auditing and Management
  Course (16 hour course)
• El Paso, TX- November 3-4, 2005
• 19 students
• 13 new certified landscape auditors

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Short Courses Offered

• Electrical Wiring and Safety for Landscape
  Irrigation Course (8 hour course)
• Weslaco, TX- August 25, 2005
• 4 students
• El Paso, TX- offered course, no student
  enrollment

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Texas ET Websitehttp//texaset.tamu.edu/

• Recalculated average ETo (PET) and rainfall rates
  for 21 cities in Texas
• http//texaset.tamu.edu/pet.php
• http//texaset.tamu.edu/rainfall.php
• Website uses
• Irrigation scheduling by irrigators
• Water budgeting and planning by state agencies
• City water conservation departments

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Texas ET Website http//texaset.tamu.edu/

• Customized Texas ET Website to allow users to
  enter their profile and receive customized
  irrigation watering recommendations via
  email
• User can set up profiles for
• Landscape sites
• Agriculture sites
• http//texaset.tamu.edu/date.php?stnsagc2spread
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Rainout Shelter

• Design and build a retractable 5,000 ft2 shelter
  as a barrier to rain to maintain a continual
  60-day drought recovery for turf cultivars on two
  soil profiles
• Purpose is to have sound scientific research
  supporting new San Antonio ordinances
• Plant grasses to survive a 60-day drought
• Requires at least 4 in of soil where they plant
  grasses at residential or commercial sites

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This is the research site for the rainout shelter
with 2 parallel concrete beams to support the
future roof structure.
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• Illustration of rainout shelter tracking system
• I-beam
• Welding tabs
• Angle iron
• Caster wheels
• C-channel

For more information on the ITC Rainout Shelter,
see my poster.
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Evapotranspiration (ET) Smart Controllers

• ET Controllers installed into residential sites
  to compare how effectively they operate and set
  up irrigation schedules
• Action plan, participation screening, surveys,
  and evaluation forms have been created

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Turf Irrigation and Nutrient Management Reference
Manual

• Reference manual B-6165 published December 2005
  by Texas Cooperative Extension
• Irrigation Water Management (Dr. Fipps, author)
• Predicting turf water requirements
• Accounting for rainfall
• Determining irrigation frequency
• Determining station runtimes
• Determining precipitation rate

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Thank You