A team of nine judges made up of academics, contractors, engineers and others met to select three winners at the top of three categories. (The judging staff is kept anonymous to keep it separate from lobbying by manufacturers, the IA?EUR??,,????'???s Beth Casteel said.)

With the number of entries growing each year, the association is reevaluating the entry and judging process for the 2007 event, scheduled for Dec. 9-11 in San Diego. Eager entrants can contact staffer Kathy Nelbach for the latest information by email: kathy@irrigation.org

Ladies and gentlemen, the envelope please. The following announcement is from the November press release on the 2006 winners. Entrants that submitted photos are paired with illustrations below.

The 2006 Winners

A tool that quickly disassembles glued PVC pipe, a fertigation injector powered by water flow and a direct burial splice kit are winners of the 2006 Irrigation Association New Product Contest. Come Unglued, a pipe debonding device by Debonding Systems Inc. won in the turf/landscape category. Metamix Inc.?EUR??,,????'???s TF-25 Proportional injector won in the agriculture category, and Paige Electric?EUR??,,????'???s DB14-4 Direct Burial Splice Kit won for golf.

The winners were announced Nov. 6 in San Antonio, Texas.

Judges said the debonding device (Come Unglued), is an innovative and practical tool that could save labor and materials. The product breaks the original cement bond of a broken pipe by heating the pipe to the exact temperature needed to remove it from a fitting while leaving the fitting unmelted and undamaged.

The Metamix water-to-water injector was praised for its innovative design. Judges identified it as portable, easy to use and easy to maintain. The judges liked the simplicity and potential for cost savings associated with Paige?EUR??,,????'???s splice kit.

The New Product Contest, in its fifth year, has grown each year. The contest includes products introduced to the market in the last year.

Turfgrass/Landscape Category Contenders

Most manufacturers have web sites. Type the company name into a search engine to learn more.

Debonding System, Inc.

Come Unglued
The category-winning tool uses carefully-controlled heat to break the adhesive bonds that hold PVC pipes and fittings together. The unit uses a 24-volt rechargeable power source and a microprocessor to control the temperature and duration of heating. (The user enters the diameter and schedule of the pipe to be separated.) The tool is effective on pipe dimensions from 3/4 to 12 inches.

Agrifim

Simple Drip/Drip-in-a-Box
Simple Drip is a package concept designed to get more contractors installing drip irrigation. Some of the system?EUR??,,????'???s unique features are a 150-mesh stainless steel T-filter, a 30-psi pressure regulator and miscellaneous fittings.

Agrilink International, Inc.

AquaBlu
The AquaBlu soil water regulator uses a new digital moisture sensor based on capacitance technology that is generally unaffected by soil type or salinity.

Alex-Tronix

Enercon Plus
The Enercon Plus irrigation controller is battery-powered and uses temperature budgeting to approximate ET values. The unit runs with four stations and is expandable up to 24 stations.

Atlantic Water Gardens

Big Bahama Skimmer
The Big Bahama Skimmer has a Super Flow weir that accelerates water as it enters and an optional weir door brush system that keeps fish and frogs out. Comes in door sizes from six to 20 inches, with flow rates from 5,500 gph to 20,000 gph.

Baseline LLC

WaterTec S100
The WaterTec S100 can turn an irrigation timer into a smart irrigation controller with its biSensor soil moisture sensor.

Carson Industries LLC

 

Professional Series 1015 Valve Box
This new valve box has improved ribbing structure for increased strength, knockout mouse holes and an optional bolt-down device.

Danner Manufacturing, Inc.

Pump Vault for Pondless Waterfalls
This pump vault for pondless waterfalls helps filter agitated water before it enters pump units. The vault weighs 16 lbs., can be installed in a 4???4 ft. area and can handle flows up to 5,000 gph.

DIG Corporation

LEIT-2
LEIT-2 uses a photovoltaic cell to generate power without batteries, wire connections or solar cells. Unlike DIG?EUR??,,????'???s pole-mounted LEIT controllers, however, the new LEIT-2 mounts directly on valve boxes, as seen here.

Dimex, LLC

EdgePro Ultra PVC Landscape Border System
The Dimex Ultra edging system wraps around planting beds, turfgrass areas, concrete patios and walkways to provide a crisp, clean outline, along with water savings.

Dosmatic USA/International, Inc.

T200
The T200 fertigation injector is a high-flow proportionate injector that adds fertilizers or other chemicals into irrigation lines at rates in the neighborhood of 200 gpm or 12,000 gph.

Dynamax

IL200-MC Moisture Controller
The Moisture Clik is a soil-moisture-based irrigation controller for residential and commercial applications. The unit can turn most irrigation timers into smart controllers and can be installed in one hour or less.

Fertile Earth Corporation

ProFeeder
The ProFeeder is a precision liquid injection device suitable for most sprinkler, drip and subsurface irrigation systems. The manufacturer offers a total of 13 formulas of plant food and pest control, with more options on the way.

Hunter Industries

Hunter ET System
Hunter?EUR??,,????'???s ET System can convert existing Hunter controllers into smart, ET-based systems. The upgrade is based on a remote, 6 lb. weather station that can be mounted up to 100 ft. from the controller.

Irrometer

WaterSwitch
Irrometer?EUR??,,????'???s Watermark soil moisture devices are geared for commercial landscape applications. The new WaterSwitch is designed to be smaller and simplified, offering a cost-effective option in residential settings.

L. R. Nelson Tur

8020 Series SoloRain
Nelson?EUR??,,????'???s 8020 SoloRain is a battery-powered multi-station controller that gives contractors and maintenance people a wireless option. Uses two AA batteries.

NDS

1200NGB-Next Generation Catch Basin
NDS?EUR??,,????'???s new catch basin lets installers set the inlet-outlet elevations to each box at 3/4 inch increments to create precise flow slopes. The hardware is connectable to 3, 4, 6 or 8-inch pipe.

Rain Bird Corporation

Rain Bird ET Manager
Rain Bird?EUR??,,????'???s ET Manager is compatible with most controllers, giving systems hourly ET data updates. The added data can create even more accurate water application during changing weather conditions.

Rain Master

TWICE ?EUR??,,????'??? Z-Wire
Rain Master?EUR??,,????'???s on-site weather station connects to individual controllers using a variety of wireless technology. Eliminating wiring requirements helps keep cost down.

Salco Products

TruCheck Spring Check Valve Emitter
The TruCheck emitter is unique in using spring check valve technology that can save water that is normally lost to low head drainage.

Signature Control Systems

E-Constellation
The service is an online central control system that lets maintenance people program valves and controllers for large commercial turf sites. The system uses real-time ET weather data and transmits it to each controller in a network.

The Toro Company

DDCWP
Toro?EUR??,,????'???s DDCWP is a battery-powered waterproof controller that?EUR??,,????'???s compact enough to be installed directly in a valve box to combat vandalism. Available in 2, 4, 6 or 8-station models.

Tucor, Inc.

RKD Decoder Control System
The RKD is a decoder-based controller that addresses the need for a controller for larger 40-100 valve decoder installations. Up to 10 programs can operate simultaneously without exceeding the flow capability of the system.

Underhill International

Universal Decoder Module
Underhill?EUR??,,????'???s decoder module can convert any controller to a two-wire system for sites on more than one-half acre with three to 63 zones.

Unique Lighting Systems, Inc.

I-Force Transformer
The I-Force Inverted Transformer offers a replaceable secondary circuit fusing feature, which customizes safety for each circuit.

Weathermatic

SmartWire 2-Wire System
The Smart Wire is a smart controller and a two-wire controller at the same time. The unit converts any SL 1600 Series SmartLine Controller to two-wire decoder operation for a maximum of 48 zones.

Irrigation Insights

41: Percent, the amount of wastewater in Florida that was treated for reuse in 2005.

331: Million gallons, the amount of water saved as a result of the above program while watering residential lawns, golf courses and parks.

20: Billion gallons per year, the amount of water saved in Nevada since 2002 as a result of the state?EUR??,,????'???s Water Smart program.
Source: Environmental Protection Agency