IRRIGATION AND WATER MANAGEMENT
When collecting information, keep it simple for ease of comparison from head to head and zone to zone. Photo by Brad R. Jakubowski
MACHINERY
HELPING TURF CARE EXPERTS ACHIEVE PERFECTION
If the irrigation efficiency is improved by 25 %, from 50 % to 75 %, we can easily calculate the amount of water saved after upgrades and retrofits have been made. The new irrigation requirement would be 44,803 gallons instead of 71,686, which is a significant reduction. Even a modest improvement of 10 % would save 3,584 gallons from the original amount applied.
With just a 10 % improvement in efficiency, and a conservative 14 weeks of watering, saving 50,000 gallons could be achieved in a reasonable amount of time: 3,584 x 14 = 50,176.
Here’ s where a second point of enlightenment kicks in, as it is a rare situation where a sports field manager cares for only one football field. Most manage soccer, baseball, softball, lacrosse and many other sports, ranging from three to 20 fields overall. So, at a common municipal rate of $ 6 per 1,000 gallons, annual water cost savings for irrigating may be a minimum of $ 300 to $ 500 per field. This translates to potential savings in the multiple thousands of dollars. When you add up the water and cost savings from implementing various irrigation improvements, the benefits far outweigh the time and effort spent in the process.
John C. Fech is a horticulturist with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and certified arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture. The author of two books and more than 400 popular and trade journal articles, he focuses his time on teaching effective landscape maintenance techniques, water conservation, diagnosing turf and ornamental problems, and encouraging effective bilingual communication in the green industry.
Brad R. Jakubowski is a turfgrass and irrigation instructor with Penn State University. He is a certified irrigation technician with the Irrigation Association and is an author and presenter covering multiple management areas within the turfgrass industry. He focuses his time on teaching best irrigation practices and troubleshooting, weather-based management decisions, soils and plant nutrition.
Campey supply market leading, innovative turf care machinery worldwide, we’ re continually researching new techniques and refining existing practices.
www. campeyturfcare. com sportsfieldmanagementonline. com September 2025 | SportsField Management
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