Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting November 3-4,
2010 Pueblo, CO
Slide 2
Slide 3
we are no longer developing a water resource; we are learning
how to share a developed resource. ~ Justice Greg Hobbs Colorado
County Agents Association Annual Meeting November 3-4, 2010 Pueblo,
CO
Slide 4
3,000,000 2,500,000 2,000,000 1,500,000 1,000,000 500,000 0
2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 Acre-Feet per Year Colorado County
Agents Association Annual Meeting November 3-4, 2010 Pueblo,
CO
Slide 5
Summary of Combined Gross Water Use for M&I and SSI in 2000
and 2030 Source: Colorado Water Conservation Board. 2007. Colorados
Water Supply Future, Statewide Water Supply Initiative Phase 2.
Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting November 3-4,
2010 Pueblo, CO
Slide 6
Between 2000 and 2006, Aurora, Boulder, Colorado Springs,
Denver, Loveland, and Erie have all seen a decline greater than 15%
in SFR per capita use. Colorado Springs has had the largest drop,
an impressive 32% in just six years. Colorado County Agents
Association Annual Meeting November 3-4, 2010 Pueblo, CO
Slide 7
Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) Mission water
conservation, and drought planning Identified significant water
shortages or gaps across the state over next 20-40 yrs (SWSI Phase
II ) Over 50% of all domestic water use occurs outside and usually
to water lawns. CWCBs Office of Water Conservation and Drought
Planning recommendations relate to irrigation: Landscape Irrigation
Management Educational Programs Colorado County Agents Association
Annual Meeting November 3-4, 2010 Pueblo, CO
Slide 8
Efficient lawn sprinklers (automated pop-up systems) New
standard in urban Colorado, but techniques for improving water
efficiency are not always employed even when the correct equipment
is installed. Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting
November 3-4, 2010 Pueblo, CO
Slide 9
Time, labor and cost requirement Especially for larger
populations (that continue to grow) Ideal scenario Domestic users
audit themselves at their convenience, if only to determine if a
professional, certified audit would even be worth the expense.
Similar programs exist in neighboring Western states, such a
Arizona where water scarcity is even more severe. Colorado County
Agents Association Annual Meeting November 3-4, 2010 Pueblo,
CO
Slide 10
What is an irrigation audit? Closes knowledge gap between
having the latest irrigation technology and using it to max
efficiency Identify where lawn watering techniques and systems
could be improved to benefit homeowner. The actual audit is broken
into 2 main areas: 1.Physical audit to collect lawn irrigation data
2.Analysis and scheduling by the LISA web-tool Colorado County
Agents Association Annual Meeting November 3-4, 2010 Pueblo, CO
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/lisa/lisa.pdf
Slide 11
Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting November 3-4,
2010 Pueblo, CO 1.LISA kit container (1) 2.Stopwatch with battery
(1) 3.Tape measure (1) 4.Plastic mallet (1) 5.Soil probe (1)
6.Catch Cans numbered (20) 7.Catch Can Support Stakes (20)
8.Optional: additional pairs of Catch Cans (unnumbered) and Stakes
9.Extension Fact Sheet 4.772 Irrigation: Inspecting and Correcting
Turf Irrigation System Problems NOTE: If there are different types
of sprinkler heads throughout the lawn then it is important they be
separated into separate audit sections. Also if there are different
grass types (e.g, Kentucky Blue Grass in the backyard, Buffalo
Grass in the front yard), need to keep these separate for the
auditing process as well.
Slide 12
Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting November 3-4,
2010 Pueblo, CO NOTE: Catch cans go in the steel support with at
least 12 cans per section for a successful audit. If cans are not
reading at least 25 mL of water, continue watering until most cans
have at least 25 mL. Record the catch can volumes and total
irrigation duration (run time).
Slide 13
Once all the physical audit data it is time to access the LISA
web-tool, which will calculate a watering schedule. Accessible via
a link on the Extension LISA website or directly:
http://tririver.mesacounty.us/IrrAudit/http://tririver.mesacounty.us/IrrAudit/
LISA is currently in a pilot phase in three counties of Colorado:
Mesa, Pueblo and Larimer County. The kit will be kept at the County
Extension offices for these counties. Rental of the kit is $10 for
3 weekdays, or $10 per weekend, with a $10 per day charge for
extended use. Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting
November 3-4, 2010 Pueblo, CO
Slide 14
Calculation Setup. The front or setup page of the web-tool is
shown in Figure 2.1. There are three separate prompts to complete:
1. Default or Manual Entry. 2. Number of Sections. 3. Zip Code and
City. NOTE: For the Default data entry page, the yard
characteristics are preset to Grass Type (Cool Season), Shade
(None), Trees/Shrub (None), and Soil Type (Clay Loam). Colorado
County Agents Association Annual Meeting November 3-4, 2010 Pueblo,
CO
Slide 15
Data Entry. For Default or Manual Entry, supply a name for the
current audit section, select (section) root depth, and also run
time. NOTE: If you fail to enter 12 cans or more per section or
fail to select root depth you will receive a warning message and an
opportunity to return and finish entering data.
Slide 16
Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting November 3-4,
2010 Pueblo, CO Watering Schedule Results. Returns watering days
per month, time per day, number of cycles, and time per cycle.
NOTE: In the Results column, you will see two numbers, DU
(Distribution Uniformity) a measure of how uniformly water is
applied to your lawn; and PR (Precipitation Rate), a measure of how
much water your lawn received each hour DU of less than 50% is
problematic; it should be above 65%. PRs are dependent on the
irrigation system and can vary a lot. A warning sign is if PRs vary
a lot between audit sections with the same type of irrigation
heads. Low DUs or highly variable PRs should be discussed with
local Extension experts for troubleshooting advice.
Slide 17
Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting November 3-4,
2010 Pueblo, CO