Can Smart Irrigation Save Texas?
Mike Mason
CEO Weathermatic CEO Unlimited Labor Solutions, LLC. Managing Director Mason Family Investment Office
The problem
Texas does not have enough water to supply its population, right now. With 188 major reservoirs, the state is 19 short for current requirements. A typical reservoir takes 36 years to gain approval, construct, and fill. This sounds like an equation where A + B = big trouble, right?
Of course the population is not stagnant. Does it make sense that one of the driest states in the country is also one of the fastest growing? Regardless of whether this trend continues, water rates will skyrocket, conservation will be even more critical, and Water Managers who can apply water management technology will be in high demand.
But none of this is news, is it?
The big news is that we actually have all the water we need for Texas, now and for the future, without any big government billion dollar bail out or massive infrastructure project! What is required is some old fashioned Texas ingenuity called SmartLink by Weathermatic!
On the average commercial property, 70% of water consumption goes to landscape irrigation. According to the EPA, a staggering 50% of that water is usually wasted, due to inefficient watering methods in use for the past 20 years. Weathermatic can reduce a typical commercial property’s overall irrigation water usage and expense by a proven 50% on average with a simple and affordable upgrade to a smart sprinkler controller (SmartLine.com) when equipped with the software and remote access (SmartLinkNetwork.com).
The solution
If property owners across the state would make this small improvement, together we could save trillions of gallons of water every year. Essentially filling the reservoirs across the state many times a year while eliminating the need for many of the new reservoirs. NOW THAT IS SMART!!
And if it’s good for Texas, it is good for every other state, too. If you’d like to join thousands of elite property owners across the country creating a more sustainable future for their state, please watch the short video below to learn more and then register to attend the weekly webinar.
Studio Astragal Ltd - Conservation, Urban Design & Planning.
9yHello Mike, Thanks for your response. It sounds like the USA is going to need a water aid not-for-profit or social business pretty soon! Thankfully, we don't have such terrible droughts in the UK, although Portugal, where we have an olive farm suffers regular droughts now.
Studio Astragal Ltd - Conservation, Urban Design & Planning.
9yThere have been a number of posts on the whole water issue over the past months, mostly in response to the drought in the southwest of the USA, but water supply is a worldwide problem. My post contains a number of links to other posts for those who are interested:- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/some-thoughts-water-problem-geoff-bennett?trk=mp-author-card
Studio Astragal Ltd - Conservation, Urban Design & Planning.
9yAs a keen gardener, I have alway tried to choose plants that are best suited to the local conditions. I have one guiding principle; plants have to survive on their own, without irrigation, apart from initial help to get established over the first summer. My gardens have always been Darwinian - survival of the fittest. And they looked good.
Plumber
9yThis idea is perfect in theory; however, with the mentality of the consumer is where I see this solution as flawed. The typical homeowner will not spend the amount of money to purchase a quality irrigation system nor do they do enough research to know what they get when they purchase an inefficient system. In my experience, and my observation in the Fort Bend County and Harris County region of Texas, you see poorly designed systems and an abundance of wasted water due to irrigation systems. I believe that the majority of homeowners would rather spend more money wasting water throughout the years than to spend more money on a quality system from reputable irrigation engineers. If I could get the simple equation of water usage across to most homeowners looking to install or update an irrigation system, I would love to incorporate the Weathermatic or something similar to help with this growing problem in our state.
President- owner at Rain Rich Sprinklers
9yI am not sure how they landscape in Texas or what effort is made to prepare the soil for plants and turf. I do know from my experience in NY that many times poor soil condition is not addressed and regardless of the best irrigation design, maintenance, and programming those landscapes will not do well and typically are overwatered to make up -what the owner, landscaper, person responsible believes - will compensate for poor health of plant material. Installing great soil with organic matter,proper loam, and drainage will go along way to improving plant health and will actually save water, reduce irrigation, by holding more water and making available.