Sprinklers keep tabs on weather, save water
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in WSU water Published: Wednesday, 15 July 09 - 07:41 PM (GMT -08:00) Last Updated: Wednesday, 15 July 09 - 07:44 PM (GMT -08:00) |
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New WSU system will know to turn itself off when it's raining
By Yesenia Amaro, Moscow-Pullman Daily News staff writer
PULLMAN--Washington State University officials are installing a new water management irrigation system that will coordinate irrigation needs with local weather conditions.
"There will be a tipping rain bucket, and when it rains it will tip over and tell the irrigation system to shut down," said George Hoffman, WSU construction engineer for facilities operations. "We won't see any sprinklers on when it's raining."
Hoffman, who is also serving as project manager, said officials are currently replacing 33 irrigation controllers around campus with the Calsense Water Management Irrigation System, which includes evapotranspiration controllers.
Hoffman said the new controllers also will automatically stop operating once they reach the amount of water they were programmed to release. Also, each controller will store water usage information.
"We can retrieve water usage reports," he said. "To see how much water we are actually using."
WSU Director of Plant Services for Facilities Operations Dennis Rovetto said other university campuses that have implemented the same system have reported up to a 30-percent water savings.
The water management irrigation system will control each evapotranspiration controller from one central location on campus. If the central computer was to fail, each controller has its own backup software.
"We would be able to independently control them on their own computer," he said.
Hoffman said the system has a command to shut down in the event of an emergency. It also has the ability to shut down the university's main water line if it was to break.
Rovetto said if there is a problem with one of the irrigation water lines or sprinklers, the controllers will be able to sense it.
"(They) will send a report of what happened, when it happened and where it happened," he said, adding that ground workers would be able to solve the problem "right away."
He said it will save time for the ground workers because they will not have to hunt around campus for the problem.
WSU Executive Director for Facilities Operations Rob Corcoran said this is a two-phase project. The first phase, which consists of replacing the 33 irrigation controllers, is expected to be completed this summer.
Another 62 irrigation controllers are supposed to be replaced around campus during the second phase of the project, he said.
Corcoran said the university will spend anywhere from $1 million to $1.2 million for both phases of the project. However, he said the second phase probably will not take place until two to four years from now because it still requires funding.
Corcoran said the university's old irrigation system was old and needed to be replaced. He said this project also is part of the university's "long-term water conservation plan."
Yesenia Amaro can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 237, or by e-mail at yamaro@dnews.com.
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