The value of landscaping, how water conservation can be carried out through efficient design, better products & proper installation

1. Water Management for Better
Landscapes
Mohan Subramanian

2. Water and Landscape

3. Importance of water
 Water is found in the landscape as a water
body or a fountain
 But the most important water component is
the one you do not see
 The water that nourishes the plants is critical
to ensure the landscape is lively and healthy
 Providing adequate amount of this water is
the main purpose of Irrigation.

6. The World’s Water Crisis
There is no new water.

7. Outlook for the Future
 69% of water used in
Agriculture
 More efficient use can
have significant impact
on available supply
 Increasing number of
international and
regional summits
 Working together to
find a solution

8. The Indian Context
 More than 700 million Indians lack access to
sanitation and safe drinking water
 More than 2.1 million children under the age
of 5 die due to disease related to water.
 22 Million bore-wells pump water whenever
there is power and pump out roughly 200
Cubic Kilometres of water every year

11. The Value of Landscaping
 Beauty and relaxation
for family, employees
and visitors
 Increases real estate
market value
 Provides safe,
high-quality play
and exercise areas

12. The Value of Landscaping
 Soil erosion control
 Rainwater entrapment and
ground water recharge
 Provides shelter for
wildlife
 Solar heat dissipation
 Reduces air and noise
pollution

13. Conservation Through Efficient Irrigation
Proper system design
Use water-conserving products
Proper system installation
Proper maintenance and usage

14. Proper Irrigation Design
 Different plants require
different amounts of water
 Understand exactly what
will be irrigated
 Divide by zones
 Use the right products for
the right applications
 Consult a licensed
professional

15. Use of Water Conserving Products
 Significant recent
advances in irrigation
technology
 Automated systems are
more efficient than
hand watering
 Can be set to deliver
exactly the amount of
water needed

16. Automatic Controllers with
Water Conserving Features
 Multiple start times and
multiple independent
programs
 Cycle+Soak™
 Water budget
 ET Programming
 Rain Delay
 Pump Station Control

17. Add an Automatic Shut-Off Device
 Rain, moisture and wind
sensors automatically
suspend watering
 15-20% or more in water
savings
 Very simple to install and
maintain. Cost effective
too.

18. Efficiency
Typical Efficiency Levels:
Spray heads – 60%
Rotors – 70%
Bubblers – 80%
Rotary – 85%
Low Volume – 90%

19. Use Low Volume Irrigation
 Very efficient for
non-turf applications
 Apply precise amounts
of water slowly and
evenly at the root
 Helps reduce weeds
and plant disease
 Helps eliminate runoff
 Helps plants thrive

20. Low Volume Irrigation- Issues
 Clogging
 Mis-alignment of lateral lines
 Vandalism of exposed tubing
 Low quality products- frequent replacement
required
 Maintenance issues- Cleaning, aligning, repairing

21. Sub Surface Drip Irrigation
 The latest technological innovation
 Very useful for areas like medians, car parks,
planters
 Ideal for shrub lines in lawn areas
 Best suited for highway medians
 No maintenance and very reliable
 Out of sight- No vandalism, no damage

22. Proper Installation
 Systems must be
properly installed and
configured to achieve
the most efficient use of
water
 Use Certified Irrigation
Contractors (Irrigation
Association)

23. Proper Maintenance and Operation
 Set systems to operate in
early morning
 Periodic monitoring is
important
 Routine inspections to
discover problems
 Adjust schedules when the
seasons change
 Adjust schedules when
plants change

24. Provide Optimum Water Pressure
 Use pressure regulating devices
in high pressure situations
 Every 0.3 bar reduction results in
6-8% lower water usage
 Prevent misting & fogging
 Use booster pumps in low
pressure environments
 Ensures complete and efficient
water coverage

25. Design & Installation

26. “Head to Head” Coverage

27. Stretched Spacing

28. Irrigation Over-spray

29. Low Pressure

30. High Pressure

31. High Wind

32. Low Head Drainage

33. Design & Product Selection

34. Transpiration
Water vapor
~ 99% of water consumed by plants is transpired.
The function of stomates is
gas exchange - primarily the
acquisition of CO2 for
photosynthesis. Stomates
also transpire water which is
the ecological trade-off.
Space between cells is
saturated with water vapor.
H2O
H2O
Stoma or pores in the leaf
surface allow CO2 to enter
for photosynthesis and
water vapor to escape
through transpiration.
CO2
H2O
H2O
H2O
What’s the function of transpiration ?
• Translocation of materials
• Evaporative cooling
What’s the drawback ?
• Water loss

35. Root Zone Pore Space
Composition of an average loamy soil
Maintaining pore
space for soil gases
(O2) is critical to
healthy root
Water
function!!!
25%
Mineral
45%
Solids
Soil gases
25%
Pore
Space
Organic • Half the volume of a soil is pore
space.
5%
% by volume
VC ‘97
• Under ideal conditions ½ of the
pore space is filled with water, the
other ½ is filled with air.

36. Root Zone Pore Space
After a heavy rain or irrigation
all pores are filled with water,
and the soil is saturated.
After gravity drains the soil, ½ the pore
space is filled with water and ½ is filled with
air. This condition is “Ideal”.
Over-watering can cause soils to be
constantly saturated which starves roots of oxygen
and restricts root growth and root function. This is
an unhealthy condition for turf!!!

37. Plant Water Requirements
 The landscape’s water requirement can be
measured through Evapotranspiration
(ET) calculations:
– ET is the amount of water lost to the plants use
through daily evaporation and transpiration
– ET is the measurement in mm of irrigation
required to supplement rainfall and maintain
desired soil moisture content
– ET and the efficiency of the irrigation system are
used to calculate the valve operating time

38. Calculating ET

39. Step-Down Method
The step-down method is a simple and easy way to conserve
water and save money




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Take the base schedule already in use.
Subtract 2 minutes from each zone.
Monitor.
If still very green, subtract 2 more minutes.
Continue until you reach an acceptable level of colour and
health.

40. Water Savings
2 minutes from each zone can make a large difference.
54 litres/minute zone x 2 minutes = 108 litres
8 zones x 108 litres = 864 litres per irrigation day
864 litres/irrigation day x 7 irrigation days/week = 6048
litres/week
6048 litres/week x 40 weeks/year = 2,41,920 lites/year
2,41,920 litres/year x 100 homes = 24 Million litres saved

41. Benefits of Proper Irrigation
 Tangible Benefits
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Water Savings
Power Savings
Labour Savings
Reduced input costs
 Intangible Benefits
–
–
–
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Greener landscapes
Reduced dust pollution
Cooling Effect
Better aesthetics and working environment

42. Case Study- Lalbagh and Cubbon
Park
 Initiated in 2003-05 by Bangalore
Development Authority
 Computer controlled automatic irrigation
system installed in both parks
 Over 1500 sprinklers in each park
 Works in tandem with Sewage Treatment
Plant installed at the same time
 Uses STP water for all irrigation needs

43. Lalbagh- Cost Benefit Analysis
 System Cost was 158 Lakhs
 Benefits
–
–
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Complete utilization of STP water
Surplus water available for sale to other users
Power savings of Rs.3 Lakhs per annum
Labor Savings of Rs.15 Lakhs per annum
Green Landscape throughout the year
Reduced dust and a better environment
System operational efficiently even after 10 years

46. Volkswagen Automotive, Pune
 Installed in 2010
 State of the Art Computerized Irrigation
System
 25 acres of landscape
 Changing Land use- Parking lots become
factories etc
 Over 500 sprinklers and 20,000mts of Drip
Line

47. Volkswagen- Cost Benefit
 Power savings of 25%- VFD pumps and Flo
Manager technology- around Rs.3 lakhs p.a
 Automation was cheaper than manual in
capital costs
 Only one person operates the entire system
replacing over 15 people.
 Water consumption is reduced by 40% over
conventional system. This is based on data
of pre-irrigation usage and current usage

48. Volkswagen- Benefits
 System is estimated to payback in 4 years
 Green Landscapes throughout the year
 Optimal utilization of the STP water, System
allows monitoring of consumption and
maintains logs of usage
 Irrigation system has brought down dust
drastically and for the automobile plant, this
has been a major value addition for their
painting process quality

51. Intelligent Use of Water

52. Thank you.