Water Manager Certification

Transcription

1 Water Manager Certification Study Guide Version 1.2 Developed by Scott McGilvray John Moore Gary Kah Chris Willig Copyright 2006, 2007 by CLCA

2 Preface This Study Guide describes a proven approach to Good Landscape Water Management and will help you prepare for the CLCA Water Manager Certification Exam This is a Hyperlink document, which allows you to navigate within this Guide by clicking on Underlined Text... Introduction (would take you to the Introduction page)... or by clicking on Navigation Symbols and Arrows... Table of Contents Return to Last Page Previous Page Next Page You can also browse the Internet for additional information by clicking on an underlined word in Blue... CLCA Home Page For Assistance by , Contact Us by Clicking Here Try It! 2

3 Table of Contents 1. Introduction 6. Basic Principles of Irrigation 2. Objectives 3. Path to Certification 7. Budgeting and Tracking 8. Controller Programming 4. Glossary 5. Get On Budget Checklist 9. Certification in 5 Steps 10. Affiliates 3

4 Introduction The California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) recognizes that water is a precious natural resource and that the key to landscape water conservation is efficient irrigation management. Urban CII Landscape Water Use and Efficiency in California, a study prepared for CLCA by Dr. John B. Whitcomb, suggests that a conversion from turf to other irrigated plants will not necessarily result in lower water use given current water management practices. In other words, efficient irrigation management is generally more important than planting "water efficient" plants. - See More - Most irrigators know that plants and trees suffer without enough water. But do you know that over-watering can take an even greater toll on your landscape? Soggy, water-soaked soil prevents air and nutrients from reaching plant roots and can invite problems like root rot and other plant diseases. Significant water savings can be realized by implementing a few simple practices, often with dramatic results. The CLCA Water Manager Certification Program provides a practical approach that will help you implement efficient watering practices to keep your customer s landscapes green and healthy -- and provide a return on your Investment in Knowledge as well. Today, giving a California Landscape the water it needs -- and only the water it needs -- is a matter of dollars and sense. 4

5 Objectives of Water Management Provide Customers With Good-to- Excellent Landscape Appearance While Using the Right Amount of Water Charge Customers a Fair Price for Water Management Services 5

6 Path to Certification Use this Study Guide and CLCA s Supplemental Files to prepare for the CLCA Water Manager Certification Exam (note: the Exam is also open to non-clca members) Pass the exam, and you will have earned Provisional Certification Status Document that you have operated an actual landscape for 1 year at or under budget, and you can become a Certified Landscape Water Manager (CLWM) Expert Certification Status: (Both standards must be met) Take and pass a more comprehensive Exam. Maintain 5 sites for 12 consecutive months at or under 80% of ETo. Document Continuing On-budget Performance to maintain your Certification status 6

7 Glossary* CIMIS - California Irrigation Management Information System ETo - Reference Evapotranspiration (measured in Inches) GIS - Geographic Information System (provides drawing tools that can be used to measure landscape areas using aerial photos) HCF or CCF - Hundred Cubic Feet = 748 Gallons KGal - One Thousand Gallons = 1,000 Gallons On Budget - A site that meets or exceeds minimum standards as defined here: CLCA On Budget Standard If a local jurisdiction uses different standards, the local standard will prevail. * Comprehensive Glossary provided by the Irrigation Association 7

8 Get On Budget Checklist Five Steps -- Check Them Off As Completed 1. Map & Measure the Site 2. Document Potential Water and Cost Savings 3. Perform Site Inspection and Tune-Up 4. Establish Schedules and Program Controllers 5. Feedback Loop 8

9 Step 1 -- Map and Measure the Site 1. Add Remote Capability to Controllers 2. Map Irrigated Area by Hydrozone Measure the Area of Hydrozones using GIS Tools (such as Google Earth Pro or TerraServer), Aerial Photos (Google Earth) or a Measuring Wheel Create a Site Map by Station and Controller 3. Calculate Baseline Water Budget Register with CIMIS to Obtain Average Monthly ETo Data To determine your Baseline Water Usage, use the CLCA Water Budget Calculator 9

10 Step 2 -- Document Potential Savings 1. Obtain Irrigation Meter (or Mixed Use Meter) Records 2. Compare Baseline Water Use to Recent Water Use 3. Multiply Excess Use by Local Water Rates ($/HCF) 4. Compare Potential Savings (Line 3) to Water Management Costs 5. Use Benefit/Cost Analysis to Decide to Bid Water Management Services Cost of Irrigation Management Start Up & First Year $ 1,250 Each Year $ 600 Three year Cost $ 2,450 Annual Savings at Site $ 1,000 Three year savings $ 3,000 Net benefit $

11 Step 3 -- Perform Site Inspection and Tune-Up 1. Inspect (System Walk-through) Document Problems by Station (see Diagnostic Guide & Photographs) Submit Punchlist to Customer Obtain Customer Approval for Punchlist Repairs 2. Site Tune Up Remove & Replace Damaged Equipment Adjust Pressures at Each Valve (Flow Control) Align (Arcs/Grade) and Straighten Sprinklers Assess Nozzle Correctness and Make Changes Consider Check Valves for Low Elevation Heads 11

12 Step 4 -- Establish Schedules and Program Controllers 1. Assign Each Valve to a Controller Program: Program 1: Turf & Annual Color Program 2: Groundcover & Shrubs Program 3: Shrubs & Trees Program 4: Special (e.g., Natives) 2. Use the CLCA Irrigation Scheduler to set: Minutes per Cycle (Consider Time to Runoff) Cycles Per Day, Days/Week Adjust for Planting Density, Micro-climate, Slope Sample Irrigation Schedule Note: Other software programs including Green Leaf (fees or subscriptions may apply) and Water Budget Manager (free) are available for this purpose. 3. After 1 week with New Schedules on a Test Area, Inspect with Soil Probe; Modify Schedules If Needed 12

13 Step 5 -- Feedback Loop 1. Read Water Meters 1st Week of the Month Submit meter readings to CLCA as directed CLCA will Produce a Monthly Report 2. Irrigation Schedule Adjustments Seasonal Adjustment for Current Month Site Walkthrough Adjustments Soil Probe Used To Inspect Rootzone Wet or Dry Spots Observed Changes in Plant Appearance Adjustment Methods Days Per Week Starts per Day Percent Adjust Key (+/- 20%) 13

14 Basic Principles of Irrigation Weather Plants Soils Sprinklers Controllers 14

15 Water Budgeting and Tracking Area Measurement Measuring Wheel Aerial Photography Google Earth GIS Area Measurement Google Earth Pro Terra Server Hydrozones Species, Density, Microclimate. Sprinkler Type Weather data CIMIS and Weather Based Irrigation Controllers Meter Reading (At Least Monthly) 15

16 Controller Programming Review Characteristics of Site Controllers Basics Group Into Hydrozones Reduce Runtimes and Add Start Times to Avoid Runoff Avoid Program Overlap to Ensure Adequate Pressures Monitor Soil Moisture and Plant Appearance Conventional Electronic Controllers Use Days per Week, Starts per day and Percent Adjust Weather-Based Irrigation Controllers Calibrate at Installation, Monitor performance 16

17 Certification in 5 Steps 1. Read the Certification Program Summary 2. Work through this Study Guide 3. Pass the Certification Exam and Obtain Provisional Certification 4. Enter at least one irrigated site in the Performance Program Database 5. Document 1 year of On Budget Performance and you will achieve full CLCA Water Manager Certification (Basic Level) 17

18 Links to Affiliates California Landscape Contractors Association Irrigation Association SWAT California Urban Water Conservation Council Irvine Ranch Water District ITRC (Cal Poly) Cooperative Extension Service Santa Clara Valley Water District Irrigation Association US Bureau of Reclamation 18

19 Supplemental Materials Follow Note: Some Slides are Duplicated to Facilitate Study Guide Navigation 19

20 Add Remote Capability 20

21 Baseline Water Use - Historical Weather 21

22 Mapping Information Sample Maps Download CLCA Mapping Handbook 22

23 Basic Principles: Weather Weather causes Plants to withdraw Water from the Rootzone (via root-hairs) which must then be replaced by Irrigation (or Rainfall) Weather Affects Irrigation Requirements through: Solar Radiation Temperature Wind Humidity Rainfall Long Days with Bright, Warm, Windy, Dry Weather Increases Irrigation Water Requirements, while Short Days with Cloudy, Cool, Calm, Humid Weather Decreases Requirements It is difficult for humans to perceive the full effect of recent changes in weather, therefore we use computerized weather stations to provide Quantification of Weather An Excellent Source of Weather Data within California is CIMIS 23

24 Basic Principles: Plants Plants use water (obtained in almost all cases through their roots) to perform numerous chores, ranging from photosynthesis to cooling to providing strength in stems Unfortunately, there are few monocultures in landscaping; you will need to water to the requirement of the plant with the highest Demand The WUCOLS Study by the California Cooperative Extension Service assigned a Water Use Index to thousands of the most common plants: High, Medium, Low and Very Low Water Use The WUCOLS Study suggests that water use can range over a range of 500% or more based on the species of plant being irrigated 24

25 Basic Principles: Soils Soils Support Plants in the Landscape and Provide a Pathway for Nutrients and Water to reach the Plant s Roots A Healthy Soil that is not overly wet also allows Oxygen to reach the roots In Planning Irrigation Schedules, it is important to know how much water can be stored in the rootzone of the plant as well as how fast water can penetrate into the rootzone Soils such as Clays and Sands must be irrigated very differently to achieve good water use efficiency 25

26 Basic Principles: Sprinklers (1 of 2) Water is applied to the landscape at a rate low enough so that it can be stored in the Rootzone using: Sprinklers Drip Emitters Geared Rotors Single Port Impact Rotors Multi-port Rotating Stream Rotors Dripline Fixed & Popup Sprays MicroSpray Bubblers All of these devices can achieve good efficiency with good design, installation, maintenance and scheduling 26

27 Basic Principles: Sprinklers (2 of 2) The Key to achieving good efficiency at any Site is to Inspect and Tune-up the sprinklers to ensure reasonable performance and then to Adjust Schedules Until You are Dialed In Performance is Measured in two ways: How Fast is Water Being Applied = Precipitation Rate How Evenly is Water Being Applied = Distribution Uniformity If Good Judgement and Adjustments Do Not Produce Acceptable Results, Field Tests can Document the Performance of Sprinklers and Provide Better Schedules 27

28 Basic Principles: Controllers (1 of 2) Today s Electronic Irrigation Controllers offer Many Features that can be used to keep a landscape On Budget Today s Controllers typically have: Multiple Programs Multiple Start Times/Cycles A Percentage Adjustment to Track Changes in Weather Even older mechanical clocks, if programmed correctly and updated regularly, can successfully manage irrigations 28

29 Basic Principles: Controllers (2 of 2) Weather-Based Irrigation Controllers (WBIC) are now entering service and they have the potential to greatly improve irrigation management efficiency WBIC receive updated weather data from remote sources or sense local changes in weather parameters and then modify irrigation runtimes accordingly The Key to Success for WBIC is proper installation and calibration of the device so that it knows the applied water requirement of each hydrozone and the actual performance of the sprinklers serving each hydrozone 29

30 California Irrigation Water Costs Company Service Area Billing Unit Base Rate Tier 2 Tier 3 Tier 4 City of Fresno Fresno Monthly HCF $0.44 Southern California Water Rancho Cordova Monthly HCF $0.46 California Water Co. Chico - Hamilton City Monthly HCF $0.58 Carmichael Water Dist. Carmichael Bi-Monthly HCF $0.66 Desert Water Co. Palm Springs Monthly HCF $0.77 City of San Bernardino San Bernardino Monthly HCF $0.91 Irvine Ranch Water District Irvine, Costa Mesa Monthly HCF $0.91 $1.82 $3.64 $7.28 California Water Co. King City Monthly HCF $0.93 California Water Co. Dixon Monthly HCF $1.00 California Water Co. Bakersfield Monthly HCF $1.02 California Water Co. Oroville Area Monthly HCF $1.08 Victor Valley Water Dist. Victorville area Monthly HCF $1.08 California Water Co. Salinas Monthly HCF $1.17 California Water Co. Stockton Monthly HCF $1.23 City of Pomona Pomona (inside city limits) Bi-Monthly HCF $1.24 City of Santa Clara Santa Clara Monthly HCF $1.24 Azusa Light & Water Azusa Monthly HCF $1.30 Golden State Water Placentia Bi-Monthly HCF $1.41 California Water Co. Lancaster-Antelope Valley Monthly HCF $1.44 City of El Segundo El Segundo Monthly HCF $1.54 City of Pomona Pomona (outside city limits) Bi-Monthly HCF $1.56 California Water Co. Dominguez Service Area Monthly HCF $1.56 California Water Co. East Los Angeles Monthly HCF $1.60 Golden State Water Barstow/San Bernardino County Monthly HCF $1.72 California Water Co. Livermore Monthly HCF $1.78 City of Fairfield Fairfield Monthly HCF $1.82 San Jose Municipal Water San Jose Bi-Monthly HCF $1.76 to $1.91 California Water Co. South San Francisco Monthly HCF $1.88 Southern California Water Simi Valley Monthly HCF $1.88 City of San Diego San Diego Monthly HCF $2.00 California Water Co. Los Altos-Suburban area Monthly HCF $2.04 Golden State Water Metropolitan Dist./ South LA Monthly HCF $2.09 ACWD Fremont-Newark Bi-Monthly HCF $2.10 California Water Co. Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks Monthly HCF $2.11 California Water Co. Apple Valley, Victorville Monthly HCF $2.11 San Jose Water San Jose Monthly HCF $2.15 City of Petaluma Petaluma Monthly HCF $2.16 $2.37 $2.61 California Water Co. Hermosa, Redondo Beaches Monthly HCF $2.17 EBMUD Oakland-Hayward-San Ramon Monthly HCF $2.28 Contra Costa Water Walnut Creek - Concord Monthly HCF $2.28 California Water Co. Palos Verdes Estates Monthly HCF $2.29 California Water Co. Mid - SF Peninsula Monthly HCF $2.42 Marin Municipal Water Marin County (Irrigation) Bi-Monthly HCF $2.43 $4.86 $9.72 Marin Municipal Water Marin County (Residential) Bi-Monthly HCF $2.43 $4.86 $9.72 $14.58 Rincon Del Diablo Municipal Escondido Bi-Monthly 1000 gallons $2.43 $2.74 City of Milpitas Milpitas (Commercial) Bi-Monthly HCF $3.19 City of Santa Rosa Santa Rosa Monthly 1000 gallons $3.22 $4.02 $6.03 Redwood City Redwood City Bi-Monthly HCF $3.63 City of Milpitas Milpitas (Irrigation) Bi-Monthly HCF $3.65 City of Palo Alto Palo Alto (Irrigation Meters) Monthly HCF $4.04 City of Palo Alto Palo Alto (Commercial) Monthly HCF $ Average $2.00/HCF

31 Water Management Cost Estimate 31

32 Water Management Pays Off 32

33 Sample Inspection Punchlist 33

34 Problems! 34

35 Scheduling Guide I Minimum and Maximum Station Runtimes Spray *Gear Rotor *Impact Sprinkle Stream Rotor Rotating Nozzles Max. Min. Max. Min. Max. Min. Max. Min. Max. Min. Soil Type Slope 1.8 in/hr.7 in/hr.65 in/hr.6 in/hr.45 in/hr Sand Mild Sand Moderate Sand Steep Sandy Loam Mild Sandy Loam Moderate Sandy Loam Steep Loam Mild Loam Moderate Loam Steep Clay Loam Mild Clay Loam Moderate Clay Loam Steep Clay Mild Clay Moderate Clay Steep CAUTION: These station runtimes are approximate and are intended to be used as a guide to allow you to develop the optimum runtimes for your particular property. *NOTE: Minimum runtimes for rotary sprinklers: The engineered rotational speed is 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per rotation of the sprinkler. Four passes or rotations are needed to apply meaningful amounts of water per cycle for full circle sprinklers. If valved separately, half circle sprinklers runtimes can be reduced 50%. 90 degree sprinklers can be reduced 75%. Rotating Nozzles: MP Rotator nozzles are.45 in/hr. Rain Bird R13-18 are.70 in/hr. Rain Bird R17-24 nozzles are.75 in/hr. at most pressures. Flat to Mild Slope = 0 to 5 degrees Moderate slope = 5 to 20 degrees Steep Slope = More than 20 degrees Calculated minimum precipitation per cycle as : follows Spray heads- (1.8in/hr) 5minutes 3 min. =.09in/cycle. Gear Rotors- (.7 8 min. =.0 in/cycle. Impact Rotors- (.65 6 min. =.065 in/cycle. Stream Rotors- (.60 in/hr) 8 min. =.08 in/cycle. Rotating Nozzles - (.45 in/hr) 10 min. =.075 in/cycle. 35

36 Scheduling Guide II Irrigation Scheduling Worksheet Enter Precipitation Rate 1.8 Enter Station Run Time: 6 Turf?Sports Turf? Minutes Number of Month Reference ET Season adj. Crop k Site k System k Required H2O per week cycles/week January February March April May June July August September October November December Totals Enter Precipitation Rate 0.9 Enter Station Run Time: 6 Shrubs & Ground Cover Minutes Number of Month Reference ET Season adj. Crop k Site k System k Required H2O per week cycles/week January February March April May June July August September October November December Totals

37 Sample Irrigation Schedule CONTROLLER PROGRAMMING CHART JOB NAME: ABC Mfg. PREPARED BY: JM CONTROLLER: RME-12 DESIGNATION: A VALVES: WeatherMatic MOW DAY: Th PROGRAM 1 PROGRAM 2 PROGRAM 3 PROGRAM 4 STA.# RUN TIME AREA WATERED SPKLR. STA.# RUN TIME AREA WATERED SPKLR. STA. #RUN TIME AREA WATERED SPKLR. STA.#RUN TIME AREA WATERED SPKLR. 1 6 Turf spray 4 5 Shrubs & GC spray Raised planters drip 2 6 Turf spray 6 6 Shrubs & GC spray 3 6 Turf spray 8 12 Shrubs & GC rotor 5 6 Turf spray 9 12 Shrubs & GC rotor 7 6 Turf spray 11 6 Turf spray Hrs DATE DAYS ON START TIMES CY/WK DATE DAYS ON START TIMES CY/WK DATE DAYS ON START TIMES CY/WK DATE DAYS ON START TIMES CY/WK 1-Mar am/2am/3am 12 1-Mar p/10p/11p 9 1-Mar am 5 CY / WK = Cycles per week. Multiply number of "Days On" by number of "Start Times". 37

38 Irrigation Valve Flow Control photo courtesy RainBird 38

39 Monthly Report 39

40 Meter Reading (Billing Units) = 1,213 HCF 40

41 Certification Exam Offered periodically at locations throughout California Hosted by participating Water Utilities Exam Format: 50 multiple choice questions 2 hours, closed book (equations and definitions will be provided); electronic calculators permitted Passing Grade = 70% (35 Correct Answers) 41

42 Performance Program On Budget Performance with Good-to-Excellent Appearance is The Only True Measure of Water Management Success Therefore, obtaining CLCA Water Manager Certification Depends on: 1. Passing the Certification Exam to achieve Provisional Status, AND THEN Managing a landscape(s) for at least 12 consecutive months and documenting On Budget Performance. 3. A Site Already On Budget can be Documented 42

43 CLCA Water Manager Certification Offered by the California Landscape Contractors Association Certified Water Managers in Good Standing (Provisional, Basic and Expert) will be Listed in an Online Directory Exam Fee = $100 (Non-CLCA members = $200) Annual Certification Fee = $20-40 per site Continuing Performance Requirement: Document management of required number of Properties With On Budget Performance each year 43

44 Supplemental Files* Supplemental Files can be downloaded to your computer by Clicking on the link below: Click Here Download* and Store the Supplemental Files-CLCA Water Management.zip file to an appropriate folder on your computer Double-click ( Open ) the zip file to Un-zip the files * Note: the Zip file only needs to be downloaded once 44

45 Supplemental Files* Supplemental Files can be downloaded to your computer by Clicking on the link below: Click Here Download* and Store the Supplemental Files-CLCA Water Management.zip file to an appropriate folder on your computer Double-click ( Open ) the zip file to Un-zip the files * Note: the Zip file only needs to be downloaded once 45

46 Supplemental Files* Supplemental Files can be downloaded to your computer by Clicking on the link below: Click Here Download* and Store the Supplemental Files-CLCA Water Management.zip file to an appropriate folder on your computer Double-click ( Open ) the zip file to Un-zip the files * Note: the Zip file only needs to be downloaded once 46

47 Supplemental Files* Supplemental Files can be downloaded to your computer by Clicking on the link below: Click Here Download* and Store the Supplemental Files-CLCA Water Management.zip file to an appropriate folder on your computer Double-click ( Open ) the zip file to Un-zip the files * Note: the Zip file only needs to be downloaded once 47

48 Supplemental Files* Supplemental Files can be downloaded to your computer by Clicking on the link below: Click Here Download* and Store the Supplemental Files-CLCA Water Management.zip file to an appropriate folder on your computer Double-click ( Open ) the zip file to Un-zip the files * Note: the Zip file only needs to be downloaded once 48

49 Supplemental Files* Supplemental Files can be downloaded to your computer by Clicking on the link below: Click Here Download* and Store the Supplemental Files-CLCA Water Management.zip file to an appropriate folder on your computer Double-click ( Open ) the zip file to Un-zip the files * Note: the Zip file only needs to be downloaded once 49

50 Supplemental Files* Supplemental Files can be downloaded to your computer by Clicking on the link below: Click Here Download* and Store the Supplemental Files-CLCA Water Management.zip file to an appropriate folder on your computer Double-click ( Open ) the zip file to Un-zip the files * Note: the Zip file only needs to be downloaded once 50