You are on page 1of 2

By DLC Resources, Inc.

Uncapped
Emitters It is important to plug all unused emitters even though the water
loss is insignificant compared to water used to irrigate turf areas.

Drip Irrigation conditions. During the monsoon The Solution


Landscape in The Valley is populated season, for example, the whole system Although the amount of water lost
with a broad variety of desert-adapted can be shut down to take advantage through drip emitters without plants
plants. Some, such as the creosote of the natural precipitation and save is minute in comparison to the water
bush or the triangle leaf bursage, the irrigation water. used to irrigate turf areas (the bulk
are native to this part of the Sonoran of water consumption!), it is still
desert. Others, such as the Texas sage, Challenges important to keep unused emitters
lantana and the red bird of paradise, One challenge of maintaining such an plugged. Capping unused emitters in
are not native to the area, but have extensive network of drip irrigation the landscape of large communities
proven to be able to thrive here in the is making sure the water goes where is an ongoing process requiring
Valley of the Sun. Although these are it needs to go: to the roots of the continuous maintenance.
low water-use plants, they all benefit plants. Sometimes the irrigation In order to stay on top of this, the
from regular irrigation in the hottest water is emitted where there is no landscape maintenance crews should
months of summer. plant to water. You may see some of concentrate on a different area of
these emitters without plants from each maintenance cycle every week.
Miles of Irrigation time to time as you walk through Drip irrigation is often programmed to
To irrigate these plants miles of the community. How does this come run in the evening, nighttime or early
underground pipes and tubes network about? There are several reasons: morning hours. Manually turning on
to feed thousands of drip emitters. irrigation where maintenance crews
• N
 ormal wear and tear on the
When activated, these emitters thousands of tiny plastic parts in are working allows them to see where
typically put out a flow of 1 gallon or the system the problems may exist. The crews
less per hour. In some cases, an emitter • D
 amage caused by vehicles should carry small plastic plugs to cap
with a flow of as much as 2 gallons traversing the landscape the ends of distribution tubes. If they
per hour may be used. The frequency • D
 amage caused by rodents or encounter a larger leak, an irrigation
other animals
and duration of the irrigation can be technician should be called to do the
• P
 lant removal (both intentional
controlled through a central computer and accidental) repair.
or individual irrigation controllers.
This allows the amount of Soil moisture around the root ball of plants should
water used to be adjusted be monitored year round, and drip irrigation
depending on current adjusted accordingly.
For more information visit www.dlcresources.com ©2007 DLC Resources, Inc.
What Can You Do? There are also a number of resources
Homeowners, too, can benefit from on the internet that can help you find
regular checks of the irrigation system information on how to maintain your
in their yard. Turn your system on plants and irrigation system.
during daylight hours and have a look
around. If you see water leaving the Resources
system where no plant is present, you
may be able to solve the problem by
plugging the ¼ drip tube commonly
used. The appropriate plugs are readily
A drip tube that has been capped. available at any hardware store.
www.wateruseitwisely.com
Did You Know? This website has great tips on how to
conserve water at home.

www.ag.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden
Learn more about how to care for your
trees and shrubs.

Fun Fact!

Drip irrigation used primarily in desert landscaping uses approximately 1 acre foot of
water per year. This is the equivalent of 1 acre of water 1 foot deep. At $2.50/1,000
gallons, a community would spend approximately $800 per acre.

An average drip emitter


puts out 1 gallon of
water per hour. An
average sprinkler head
puts out 240 gallons of
water per hour.

In comparison, turf areas use 5 acre feet of water per year. That is 5 times the amount
of water compared to desert landscaping. It’s important to cap emitters, but any
water lost from an uncapped emitter is a fraction of the water used on turf.

It is every landscape managment company’s responsibility to track, monitor and


conserve water. Rick Robinson, President DLC Resources, Inc.

For more information visit www.dlcresources.com ©2007 DLC Resources, Inc.

You might also like