Irrigation Audits and Water Conservation
For homeowners in Houston, Harris County, and the surrounding areas, the days of inexpensive groundwater are quickly becoming a distant memory.
Surging Houston Water Bills
Your surging water bill isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a direct reflection of a critical regional mandate and massive infrastructure investments designed to protect our community.
Why Are My Water Bills Skyrocketing?
The primary driver behind your increasing costs is the necessary shift from groundwater to more sustainable surface water sources. Mandated by the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District (HGSD), this conversion is crucial to combat land subsidence—the literal sinking of our land. To achieve this, regional water authorities must meet aggressive goals, moving to 60% surface water by 2025 and 80% by 2035.
This transition comes with a significant price tag. Major projects, like the $6.24 billion Northeast Water Purification Plant Expansion, are underway. The costs of financing and building this vital infrastructure are directly passed down to local utility providers and, ultimately, to you, the homeowner.
80% Surface Water use by 2035
Ave. monthly bill now over $200
Monthly costs continue to rise!
Regional Water Costs Continue to Rise
Water Cost Contributors
Transition to ground water contributes to increased costs.
Monthly costs continue to rise!
Wholesale Fees Tripling:
Wholesale groundwater reduction fees charged by regional water authorities have more than tripled for some providers in the last decade alone to fund these projects.
Tiered Rates Magnify the Impact:
The City of Houston and many other local municipalities use a tiered rate system. This means that once your water usage goes above a certain threshold (often around 5,000 gallons), every additional gallon becomes significantly more expensive.
Real-World Impact:
Homeowners across the region are reporting their monthly water bills have doubled, or even tripled, as these new costs and higher-tier charges take effect.
Optimizing Your Irrigation System
The Key to Control of your Water Costs
When you look at your home’s water consumption, outdoor irrigation often accounts for 50% to 70% of your total usage, especially during warmer months around Houston. This makes an inefficient sprinkler system the single biggest factor pushing your household into those costly, upper billing tiers.
Controlling your rising water costs isn’t about sacrificing a green lawn; it’s about optimizing your irrigation. By eliminating waste and enhancing efficiency, you can ensure your landscape thrives while keeping your utility bills under control.
Take Control of Your Water Costs
Start with an Irrigation System Water Audit
The first and most critical step to reining in your water bill is to understand exactly where your irrigation system is wasting water.
Our Irrigation System Water Audit meticulously inspects every component—from the backflow preventer to each individual sprinkler head—to diagnose hidden leaks, correct wasteful pressure, identify misaligned nozzles, and optimize your controller’s programming.
Stop guessing and start saving. An audit provides a clear roadmap to transform your irrigation system from a source of bill shock into an efficient, conservation-focused asset.
Landscape Irrigation System Audit Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Landscape Irrigation System Audit?
- Landscape irrigation auditing is a process of collecting data to determine the efficiency of an irrigation system. Catch cans are used to collect and measure water.
Why is Distribution Uniformity so important?
- Proper DU is a major factor in water conservation. A lower DU means one must water longer to irrigate all areas. This results in overwatering other areas within the zone.
Who performs a Landscape Irrigation System Audit?
- Waterwise staff auditors are Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor (CLIA) with the Irrigation Association and the Texas A&M School of Irrigation.
How is a Landscape Irrigation System evaluated?
- A full audit usually includes a measure of Distribution Uniformity (DU) as a percentage. A result of 70%-80% is considered excellent. A score below 50% indicates significant improvement is needed.
How is a Landscape Irrigation System Audit conducted?
- Landscape irrigation auditing is a process of collecting data to determine the efficiency of an irrigation system. Catch cans are used to collect and measure water usage over time.
Why using a Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor saves time & money?
- An experienced auditor or irrigator, knowledgeable in horticulture, can assess a system without doing a full-blown audit.
Waterwise staff are Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditors (CLIAs)
Solutions for Controlling Your Irrigation Water Bill
The Key to Control of your Water Costs
Our expert technicians can implement targeted repairs and strategic upgrades that transform your inefficient system into a water-saving powerhouse, specifically designed to combat Houston’s rising water costs.
Pinpoint Repairs
Eliminating Hidden & Obvious Waste:
The most immediate savings come from fixing the leaks and inefficiencies uncovered during your audit. Even a small, unnoticed leak can waste thousands of gallons and inflate your bill dramatically.
Leaking Lines & Valves:
We meticulously locate and repair all broken lateral lines, damaged mainlines, and faulty valve diaphragms. These often hidden issues can silently drain your wallet by allowing water to escape underground.
Broken & Clogged Sprinkler Heads:
A broken or clogged head sprays water ineffectively, creating dry spots (leading to overwatering) or, worse, turning your lawn into a geyser. We replace damaged heads and clear obstructions to ensure proper spray patterns.
Misaligned Nozzles:
If your sprinklers are watering the sidewalk, fence, or driveway instead of your plants, you’re literally paying to water concrete. We precisely adjust and replace misaligned or incorrect nozzles, directing every drop where it’s needed most – your landscape.
Precision Watering
Effictive Use of Drip & Cominations
Not all plants have the same watering needs, and turfgrass has very different requirements than your flowerbeds or shrubs. Our audit helps us identify where a mixed approach can dramatically cut water usage.
Targeted Drip Irrigation:
For garden beds, shrubs, and trees, drip irrigation is a game-changer. It delivers water slowly and directly to the plant’s root zone, virtually eliminating evaporation and runoff. We can integrate efficient drip zones into your existing sprinkler system, ensuring your sensitive plants get the exact hydration they need without overwatering adjacent turf.
Optimized Combinations:
We design systems that efficiently combine spray and rotor heads for turf with drip lines for plantings, maximizing coverage effectiveness while minimizing overall water consumption.
Smart Controller Upgrades
Automating Your Savings
Upgrade your outdated sprinkler timer to a state-of-the-art smart irrigation controller and let technology do the heavy lifting for water conservation.
Weather-Based Watering (ET):
These intelligent controllers connect to local weather stations and use Evapotranspiration (ET) data to adjust your watering schedule automatically. If rain is expected, or humidity is high, your system delays watering—no more running sprinklers in a downpour!
Soil Moisture Sensing:
We can integrate soil moisture sensors that tell your controller precisely when your landscape truly needs water, preventing unnecessary cycles.
Remote Management:
Control your entire system from your smartphone, tablet, or computer. Adjust schedules, pause watering, or check for alerts from anywhere, giving you ultimate control over your water usage and your bill.
Immediate Bill Impact:
By watering only when necessary and adjusting to real-time conditions, a smart controller is one of the most effective ways to see an immediate and significant reduction in your irrigation water costs.
How to Reduce Waste in Your Irrigation Water Bill
Key factors contributing to water waste.
Improper Programming
Appropriate Schedule:
Ensure you’re not watering too much in the cooler months and not during the hot daytime hours.
Runoff & Oversaturation:
Most soil can only absorb water so fast. One long cycle can cause excessive runoff.
Rainy Day Watering:
Without a properly programmed rain sensor or smart weather integration, your system might be dutifully watering your lawn during a thunderstorm.
Poor sprinkler System Maintenance
Appropriate Schedule:
Ensure you’re not watering too much in the cooler months and not during the hot daytime hours.
Misaligned Spray Patterns:
Heads that have shifted or tilted often end up “watering” your sidewalk, driveway, or the side of your house. This doesn’t just waste water; it can lead to expensive foundation damage or stained siding.
Underground Leaks:
Without a properly programmed rain sensor or smart weather integration, your system might be dutifully watering your lawn during a thunderstorm.
Excessive Pressure
Atomization & Drifting:
When pressure is too high, water exits the nozzle as a fine mist or fog rather than heavy droplets. This mist is easily carried away by the slightest breeze, leaving your lawn dry while watering your neighbor’s fence.
Accelerated Wear and Tear:
Shifted or tilted heads often end up “watering” your sidewalk, driveway, or the side of your house. This doesn’t just waste water; it can lead to expensive foundation damage or stained siding.
Nozzle Damage:
High-velocity water can actually erode the plastic orifices of your spray heads over time, distorting the spray pattern and ruining the efficiency of the system.
Low Pressure
Poor Coverage “Donuts”:
Sprinkler heads are designed to throw water a specific distance to ensure “head-to-head” coverage. Low pressure causes the water to fall short, creating dry brown circles (donuts) around each head.
Zone Failure:
If the pressure drops significantly, the valves may fail to open or close properly. This can lead to zones that won’t turn on or, conversely, a “weeping” zone that never fully shuts off, creating a swampy mess.
Incomplete Head Retraction:
If the pressure is too low, the sprinkler heads may not fully pop up or, worse, may not fully retract.
Poor System Design
Mixed Zones:
Mixing different types of irrigation zones can cause over- and under-watering in some areas. Overwatering can easily occur.
Sun & Shade Changes:
Over time, certain irrigation needs may change due to growth of nearby trees and other plantings. Changes to wateriing cycles may be required to optimize coverage.
Ask us if an audit is right for your irrigation system!
Let our certified Irrigation Audit sprinkler specialists diagnose the problems, make the right repairs, and help protect your landscape for the long term.