Lockheed Martin Goes Green with WeatherTRAK Smart Water Management

“WeatherTRAK eliminates unnecessary costs and headaches. Our sites always look their best.”

— Frank Rocha
Senior Manager Ground Services, Lockheed Martin

CHALLENGE: OUTDATED IRRIGATION EQUIPMENT WAS WASTING WATER AND $1M

Lockheed Martin’s Sunnyvale facility in Silicon Valley is a development and manufacturing plant spanning 412 acres and employing 6,500 people. Nearby in Palo Alto, California, Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Center is the company’s principal R&D organization.

Both campuses, more than 500 acres in total, are landscaped with a wide variety of plants in a park-like setting. Frank Rocha, a longtime champion of smart water management for environmental and financial gains, oversees ground services.

After discovering that ordinary irrigation timers overwater landscapes by 30-300%, Rocha estimated that watering with outmoded technology would lead to 126 million gallons of water waste each year. The annual cost of that waste would easily reach seven digits in water bills and in the many hidden costs of overwatering: cracked foundations, asphalt resurfacing, frequent plant replacement, mold and worse.

Moreover, Silicon Valley, like half the country, faces long-term drought conditions. In response, public agencies throughout the region are raising water rates and encouraging companies to reduce water use with smart controllers.

SOLUTION: ASIDE FROM SAVING WATER AND MONEY, WEATHERTRAK DELIVERS GREATER OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES

Rocha selected WeatherTRAK® smart controllers for their proven track record with more than 20,000 customers and in 25 public agency studies. Additionally, Rocha appreciated the WeatherTRAK professional services offering, which eased implementation and help optimize performance.

As soon as HydroPoint WeatherTRAK smart controller systems were installed, their ability to accurately irrigate the challenging Sunnyvale site was immediately apparent. Plus, eliminating the probability of overwatering prevents runoff, which pollutes local environments, and damages structures, hardscapes and parking lots.

In addition to conserving water and protecting Lockheed Martin properties from water-related damage, the grounds team is enjoying greater efficiencies. It’s no longer necessary to adjust watering schedules as local weather changes. The WeatherTRAK controllers make these changes dynamically, saving a whopping 600 man-hours per year.

As Rocha continues to enhance Lockheed Martin campuses through sustainable landscape design, the WeatherTRAK support team works with him to fine-tune program settings for optimal plant health. “WeatherTRAK eliminates unnecessary costs and headaches. Our sites always look their best,” states Frank Rocha, Senior Manager Ground Services at Lockheed Martin.

When campus expansion plans were in the works, the Lockheed Martin team specified WeatherTRAK smart controllers for three new buildings in Sunnyvale. Choosing WeatherTRAK earns LEED water efficiency points, which will help Lockheed Martin achieve green building certification for the new construction.