Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting │ November 3-4, 2010 │ Pueblo, CO

“ … we are no longer developing a water resource; we are learning how to share a developed resource.” ~ Justice Greg Hobbs Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting │ November 3-4, 2010 │ Pueblo, CO

3,000,000 2,500,000 2,000,000 1,500,000 1,000, , Acre-Feet per Year Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting │ November 3-4, 2010 │ Pueblo, CO

Summary of Combined Gross Water Use for M&I and SSI in 2000 and 2030 Source: Colorado Water Conservation Board Colorado’s Water Supply Future, Statewide Water Supply Initiative – Phase 2. Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting │ November 3-4, 2010 │ Pueblo, CO

Between 2000 and 2006, Aurora, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, Loveland, and Erie have all seen a decline greater than 15% in SFR per capita use. Colorado Springs has had the largest drop, an impressive 32% in just six years. Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting │ November 3-4, 2010 │ Pueblo, CO

Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB)  Mission “water conservation, and drought planning”  Identified significant water shortages or “gaps” across the state over next yrs (SWSI Phase II ) ◦ Over 50% of all domestic water use occurs outside and usually to water lawns.  CWCB’s Office of Water Conservation and Drought Planning recommendations relate to irrigation: ◦ Landscape Irrigation Management ◦ Educational Programs Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting │ November 3-4, 2010 │ Pueblo, CO

Efficient lawn sprinklers (automated pop-up systems)  New standard in urban Colorado, but techniques for improving water efficiency are not always employed even when the correct equipment is installed. Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting │ November 3-4, 2010 │ Pueblo, CO

 Time, labor and cost requirement ◦ Especially for larger populations (that continue to grow)  Ideal scenario … ◦ Domestic users audit themselves at their convenience, if only to determine if a professional, certified audit would even be worth the expense. ◦ Similar programs exist in neighboring Western states, such a Arizona where water scarcity is even more severe. Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting │ November 3-4, 2010 │ Pueblo, CO

What is an irrigation audit?  Closes knowledge gap between having the latest irrigation technology and using it to max efficiency  Identify where lawn watering techniques and systems could be improved to benefit homeowner.  The actual audit is broken into 2 main areas: 1.Physical audit to collect lawn irrigation data 2.Analysis and scheduling by the LISA web-tool Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting │ November 3-4, 2010 │ Pueblo, CO

Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting │ November 3-4, 2010 │ Pueblo, CO 1.LISA kit container (1) 2.Stopwatch with battery (1) 3.Tape measure (1) 4.Plastic mallet (1) 5.Soil probe (1) 6.Catch Cans – numbered (20) 7.Catch Can Support Stakes (20) 8.Optional: additional pairs of Catch Cans (unnumbered) and Stakes 9.Extension Fact Sheet Irrigation: Inspecting and Correcting Turf Irrigation System Problems NOTE: If there are different types of sprinkler heads throughout the lawn then it is important they be separated into separate audit sections. Also if there are different grass types (e.g, Kentucky Blue Grass in the backyard, Buffalo Grass in the front yard), need to keep these separate for the auditing process as well.

Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting │ November 3-4, 2010 │ Pueblo, CO NOTE: Catch cans go in the steel support with at least 12 cans per section for a successful audit. If cans are not reading at least 25 mL of water, continue watering until most cans have at least 25 mL. Record the catch can volumes and total irrigation duration (run time).

 Once all the physical audit data it is time to access the LISA web-tool, which will calculate a watering schedule.  Accessible via a link on the Extension LISA website or directly:  LISA is currently in a pilot phase in three counties of Colorado: Mesa, Pueblo and Larimer County. The kit will be kept at the County Extension offices for these counties. Rental of the kit is $10 for 3 weekdays, or $10 per weekend, with a $10 per day charge for extended use. Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting │ November 3-4, 2010 │ Pueblo, CO

Calculation Setup. The front or setup page of the web-tool is shown in Figure 2.1. There are three separate prompts to complete: 1. “Default” or “Manual Entry.” 2. Number of Sections. 3. Zip Code and City. NOTE: For the Default data entry page, the yard characteristics are preset to Grass Type (Cool Season), Shade (None), Trees/Shrub (None), and Soil Type (Clay Loam). Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting │ November 3-4, 2010 │ Pueblo, CO

Data Entry. For Default or Manual Entry, supply a name for the current audit section, select (section) root depth, and also run time. NOTE: If you fail to enter 12 cans or more per section or fail to select root depth you will receive a warning message and an opportunity to return and finish entering data.

Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting │ November 3-4, 2010 │ Pueblo, CO Watering Schedule Results. Returns watering days per month, time per day, number of cycles, and time per cycle. NOTE: In the “Results” column, you will see two numbers, DU (Distribution Uniformity) a measure of how uniformly water is applied to your lawn; and PR (Precipitation Rate), a measure of how much water your lawn received each hour DU of less than 50% is problematic; it should be above 65%. PRs are dependent on the irrigation system and can vary a lot. A warning sign is if PRs vary a lot between audit sections with the same type of irrigation heads. Low DUs or highly variable PRs should be discussed with local Extension experts for troubleshooting advice.

Colorado County Agents Association Annual Meeting │ November 3-4, 2010 │ Pueblo, CO