Water conservation becoming big business

May 11, 2015

(PD) - When groundskeepers for the Petaluma City Schools District suspect they have a water line break, they no longer need to keep the sprinklers running while they walk between the control box and the play field in order to test the irrigation system.

With a tap on a smartphone, the sprinklers will remotely switch on and can be similarly shut off once the break is pinpointed. The smartphone app is part of the technology provided by a Petaluma company, HydroPoint Data Systems, that has helped the school district save an estimated $250,000 a year, said Jamie King, the district’s operations and energy manager.

“I’m telling you, it’s been a blessing having these guys in our backyards,” King said of HydroPoint. The technology helps the district staff “work smarter and not so much harder.”

Water consumption in California has often been a low-tech operation, with an estimated 200,000 homes and businesses in the state still lacking water meters. But years of drought have sent companies and municipalities scrambling for ways to conserve water, and HydroPoint says its technology is saving billions of gallons a year by reducing the amount used for irrigating lawns and other plants.

“At the end of the day, we’re keeping landscaping alive,” said Chris Spain, CEO of the 13-year-old company.

HydroPoint uses wireless technology to automate the operation of sprinkler and dripper systems. The company has developed a weather data system that can automatically customize a watering schedule based upon temperature, wind, humidity and solar radiation for a given location. The system takes into account the type of plants and soil, as well as whether the land has a slope or is mostly sunny or shady.

With 53 employees, HydroPoint’s technology operates in nearly every state. Its clients include Wal-Mart, Oracle, Caltrans, Target, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Hilton and the Los Angeles school district.

In a single year, its customers cut water use by 15 billion gallons and saved $137 million, the company touts.

Last fall HydroPoint won the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense Manufacturer Partner of the Year award. The company said it was the first winner among smart irrigation businesses.

The recognition comes as California struggles through its fourth year of drought. State water officials last week approved sweeping rules meant to back up Gov. Jerry Brown’s call for a 25 percent cut in urban water use statewide.


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