Inside Irrigation

Between the crazy climate and the economic turnaround in the last year, irrigation specialists have seen some business shifts. While drought-inspired irrigation installers in the West are investigating new equipment, rain-drenched residential irrigation installers in the Northeast have seen their business hurt.

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Jim Barrett, ASIC President

Jim Barrett holds a positive view of the business aspect of the irrigation industry based on the economic turnaround the United States experienced in 2003.

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Among the new products on the market, Mr. Barrett predicts the ET (evapotranspiration) controller will make a splash. These controllers use sensory input based on the amount of water lost to evapotranspiration (the return of moisture to the air through evaporation from the soil and transpiration by plants) to automatically regulate sprinkler runtimes. Mr. Barrett also believes that controllers using temperature data are highly effective.

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Mr. Barrett deigns manually setting runtimes as a waste of water ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Just how popular does he think theses devices will become?

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Rod Shapard, President, Owner of Fountain Head Irrigation

Rod Shapard was recommended for this round table. Although unexpected weather hurt residential contractors, Mr. Shapard predicted 2004 ?EUR??,,????'?????<

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Mr. Shapard observed that professionals are taking note of the perks of irrigation. ?EUR??,,????'?????<

However, the wet year has hampered services and repairs for his company. ?EUR??,,????'?????<

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The prolific rain last year followed several years of drought that spurred the reforming of the Virginia Irrigation Association. Mr. Shapard said one of the first things on the association?EUR??,,????'?????<

He sees growth in the highly-integrated weather data-sharing systems that allow efficient sprinkler runtimes for commercial irrigators. Central control systems that gather and download data from weather stations have existed for several years, but Mr. Shapard notes competition in this arena is growing and driving prices down, which will benefit more people.

Such systems, he believes, could reduce home water bills in half. Generally, irrigation specialists could download data weather from a remote weather station, such as the weather bureau, or from their own weather stations (some golf courses and large institutions have these). Contractors can then write schedules based on the data and adjusting for evapotranspiration. Historical data that indicates normal water use can be compared with current use in a flow zone. Thus, if a leak exists, the system senses the increase in water and shuts down the irrigation flow.

Tom Kimmell, Executive Director, Irrigation Association

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Mr. Kimmell reflected on the past year, indicating that the industry will do relatively well. ?EUR??,,????'?????<

However, when asked what products he thinks will be big in 2004, Mr. Kimmell called on SWATs, smart water application technologies. According to Mr. Kimmell, SWATs are controllers that ?EUR??,,????'?????<

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Brian Vinchesi, President-Elect, Irrigation Association

Brian Vinchesi predicts the industry is ?EUR??,,????'?????<

He agrees that SWATs will hit big in 2004, and that ET controllers will save 20 percent of irrigation water usage. Soil moisture controls will add more precision to the readings of the devices. With incentives being offered by the manufacturers, such as rebates, the residential sector may become motivated to install a smart device. At $300-$500 per control, prices may fit in to a well-planned yard.

The Final Analysis

On the horizon, the irrigation experts see smarter equipment, a rising economy, and, of course, the ever-present unpredictability of the weather.

What are the irrigation trends? What irrigation products do you see making it big in 2004? How do you think the irrigation industry will fare? Express your opinions at landscapeonline.com.