Irrigation is California's Biggest Water Conservation Opportunity

GARLAND, Texas - April 14, 2015 - PRLog -- California’s statewide mandated water restrictions have many cities and businesses scrambling to find ways to decrease their water use to achieve the required 25% reduction. While many analyze their indoor water usage and upgrade to more efficient toilets and faucets, they are overlooking the major culprit of water use and waste. On commercial properties only 30% of water is used indoors, with the remaining 70% used outdoors, primarily on landscapes. According to the EPA, as much as 50% of that water is wasted due to inefficient watering methods and systems.

But for customers of Weathermatic’s Sustainability Services, the statistics are quite different. Since the launch of the water management division in 2012, Weathermatic has been achieving dramatic conservation results for the largest property management companies in the U.S. “Our goal has always been to address irrigation water waste in the largest way we could, before drought conditions reached crisis levels as they have in California,” Weathermatic President and CEO Mike Mason explains. “By helping prevent commercial properties from losing thousands of gallons a month to leaks and runoff, our service has made a notable impact on potable water availability. Our clients are global leaders in water sustainability. They have committed to enormous conservation goals and we are proud to help them save billions of gallons of water every year, our most precious resource.”

The Texas-based company developed their Sustainability Services program based on insight from top landscape maintenance contractors and commercial property managers after seeing the challenges both industries faced with matching quality irrigation equipment and knowledgeable water managers. The program creates a bridge between Property Managers and landscape maintenance contractors, streamlining the workflow and utilizing Weathermatic’s cutting-edge SmartLine and SmartLink technology to provide 24/7 water use reporting.

“Our customers have thousands of properties under direct management,” Mason states. “The average water usage reduction for our top five customers is around 50%, nearly double the mandated amount. Our California clients are some of the most responsible companies in the state. They are showing their competitors what is possible in terms of water efficiency.” Weathermatic’s Executive Vice President of Sustainability Services, Brodie Bruner, notes the success of the Sustainability Services program shows a huge change in the industry. “Traditionally, this type of project was only done on large corporate campuses with the most grass. Many of our contracts are with companies that have very little landscaping around their buildings. They turn the norm upside down and say, ‘We’ll take the smallest irrigated areas and use the best technology in volume to produce maximum results.’ They recognize that water is a huge component of sustainability and landscape water is their biggest savings opportunity.”

“The landscape maintenance contractors that work with our Sustainability Services clients deserve recognition for their efforts, as well,” Mason emphasizes. “Commercial property managers must have the highest standards for landscape maintenance. To maintain beautiful, healthy landscapes while drastically decreasing irrigation takes a great amount of skill and knowledge. Our landscape maintenance partners enable these companies to achieve their sustainability goals without compromising landscape quality.”