Government Affairs:
Industry Initiatives

Turf and Landscape
Irrigation Best Management Practices

Water sustains every community... from the most basic needs of its citizens to the very lifeblood of the community's economic growth. In both urban and rural areas across the U.S., water rights, allocation, treatment, delivery, and supply issues are increasingly subject to legislation and regulation. Frequently, measures are passed in reaction to a crisis and without a comprehensive plan. As the focus on our water resources increases, so does the need for equitable policy and progressive water management practices.

The Irrigation Association® has developed Turf and Landscape Irrigation Best Management Practices (BMPs) for policymakers and professionals who must save and extend our water supply while protecting water quality. The BMPs will help key stakeholders - policymakers, water purveyors, designers, installation and maintenance contractors, and consumers - to develop and implement appropriate codes and standards for effective water stewardship.

The BMPs recommend parameters for water resource policies; define key stakeholders in water policy and management decisions; present tools to formulate and implement sound water policy; and raise the bar for efficient water management industry standards.

Landscapes where we live, work and play are in jeopardy for their visible water use. Yet, modern irrigation technology, prudent design and diligent maintenance allow us to grow and maintain landscapes without sacrificing the benefits landscapes offer. It's possible to do more with less... starting today.

The five Turf and Landscape Irrigation Best Management Practices include:

1. Assure Overall Quality of the Irrigation System;
2. Design the Irrigation System for the Efficient and Uniform Distribution of Water;
3. Install the Irrigation System to Meet the Design Criteria;
4. Maintain the Irrigation System for Optimum Performance; and\
5. Manage the Irrigation System to Respond to the Changing Requirement for Water in the Landscape.

The Best Management Practices feature detailed Practice Guidelines, or recommendations, for locally implementing the BMPs. The Guidelines are based on proven science and engineering principles, and present professional, easily understood methods for primary stakeholders to incorporate. Additionally, the Practice Guidelines promote consideration of local geographic, economic and political conditions - crucial to overall program success. Developed by recognized irrigation experts; the Guidelines represent the best approaches to managing our landscape water resources.

The Turf and Landscape Irrigation Best Management Practices and Practice Guidelines are designed to help water purveyors, industry professionals and irrigation consumers make responsible and informed decisions about water usage. Sustaining your community's economic growth on a finite water supply is a shared responsibility.

The consequences of ineffective planning, little cooperation, overuse, and continued wastefulness will result in more mandates with little regard for personal consequence, inability to meet demand, increased costs to make infrastructure improvements, customer dissatisfaction and failed confidence in landscape, irrigation and water companies. These consequences are preventable if we act together.

Supporting and adopting the BMPs will enable our communities to preserve their landscapes - now and for years to come. For the complete Turf and Landscape Irrigation Best Management Practices, click here (PDF 341KB).

The document Landscape Irrigation Scheduling and Water Management is posted for review. To send comments; click here. Webinars and conference calls will be scheduled from time to time and announced to gather industry input about various topics in the document. These are occurring as follow-up to the presentation made at Irrigation Show 2008 on November 2, 2008 in Anaheim, Calif. The first webinar was held December 16, 2008 at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.

Related information

Turf and Landscape Irrigation Best Management Practices (BMPs):
Complete version, 50 pages (PDF 341KB)
Overview, 7 pages (PDF 138KB)
 
Landscape Irrigation Scheduling and Water Management
Document is available for review (PDF 1,174KB)

LISWM Comment

Webinar One, December 16, 2008 Discussion of Run Time Multiplier

PowerPoint presentations and supporting papers
Brent Mecham - Paper (PDF 37KB)
Brent Mecham - Paper #2 (PDF 62KB)
Douglas Kieffer - Paper (PDF 1,468KB)
Dr. Michael Dukes - Paper (PDF 217KB)
Dr. Ramesh Kumar - Paper (PDF 199KB)
Brent Mecham - Presentation (PDF 559KB)
Dr. Michael Dukes - Presentation (PDF 495KB)
Dr. Ramesh Kumar - Presentation (PDF 2,179KB)
Webinar - Conclusions (PDF 39KB)