HydroPoint Smart Irrigation System Saves 2,628,000 Gallons of Water a Year at a Single Site

“The benefits of using WeatherTRAK technology were apparent within the first weeks after installation”

DATA DRIVEN TECH COMPANY BLIND TO WATER USAGE DUE TO ANTIQUATED IRRIGATION SYSTEM

With numerous sites, primarily in the Bay Area, a large, global technology firm wanted to conserve water, yet maintain beautiful landscape. Older campuses had a mix of irrigation vendors and products. With mixed-use meters and no flow meters or sensors, Chad Sutton, Water Resource Manager at Gachina Landscape Management, couldn’t determine the volume of water usage for landscape at any campus. With parking at a premium on every campus, it was not practical or economical to dig up the hardscape and leave employees scrambling for parking spaces.

To be effective, comprehensive water management requires an in-depth, real-time understanding of consumption. Landscapers need the ability to continuously monitor leaks and water usage of one site or across an entire portfolio, ideally from a single dashboard.

HYDROPOINT PROVIDES THE INTELLIGENCE NEEDED TO PROACTIVELY MANAGE WATER

After evaluating options, the Gachina team chose and installed 120 HydroPoint WeatherTRAK Smart Irrigation Controllers, 70 FlowHD and 50 FlowLinks, as well as rain sensors. The focus was on selecting the best water conservation products and the team viewed the HydroPoint solution as an insurance policy that would pay for itself with one significant event.

The HydroPoint solution completely streamlined water management across campuses. Now, if a leak occurs, Sutton receives an email and text message indicating water line ruptures and water loss. Real-time readouts on how many gallons per minute are flowing enables the team to quickly and easily benchmark and determine whether a zone has a problem or if water usage is unusually high. Recently, Sutton began using HydroPoint Asset Manager to locate key pieces of equipment and compile a list of every controller.

UNCOVERING LEAKS SAVES TIME AND WATER

The HydroPoint solution enabled Gachina’s team to design a system that pinpointed leaks, breaks and water usage. “We discovered more leaks and breaks, even domestic breaks, that were impossible to detect with battery operated timers. One area was leaking as much as 5 gallons a minute, probably for years. That equates to 300 gallons an hour, 7200 gallons a day, and 2,628,000 gallons a year,” says Sutton.

With HydroPoint’s 24×7 diagnostics and reporting capabilities, Gachina now spends 80% of their time solving water issues rather than on ad hoc site checks. The system is the easiest, most affordable way to connect flow sensors and master valves to controllers on existing sites. It was designed specifically to avoid costly and disruptive trenching, giving Sutton the ability to respond in real-time to breaks and leaks, protect the technology company’s property assets and cost-effectively manage water resources.

“HydroPoint smart irrigation opened my eyes to what lay beneath some really well-maintained landscapes. The real-time data stream uncovered more hidden leaks and breaks than you’d ever imagine. Without that knowledge, both water and man hours were being wasted,” concludes Sutton.