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Here are the top five cities where Americans are moving:

No. 1: Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Statistical Area
Net Domestic Migration, 7/10 to 7/11: +39,021
July 2011 Population: 6,400,511

No. 2: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach MSA
Net Domestic Migration, 7/10 to 7/11: +36,191
July 2011 Population: 5,578,080

No. 3: Austin, Texas
Net Domestic Migration, 7/10 to 7/11: +30,669
July 2011 Population: 1,728,247

No. 4: Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla.
Net Domestic Migration, 7/10 to 7/11: +27,157
July 2011 Population: 2,788,151

No. 5: Houston
Net Domestic Migration, 7/10 to 7/11: +21,580
July 2011 Population: 5,976,470

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“Ninety-four percent of Texas is now abnormally dry, 54 percent is stuck in severe drought and 25 percent is mired in the extreme category, up 10 percent from one week ago, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday.”

“The rainfall deficit for April through November in DFW is pushing 10 inches, Huckabee said. In portions of Denton County, the deficit is as much as 16 inches over the last six months.”

Drought by the numbers
94: Percent of Texas that is abnormally dry
55: Percent of Texas in severe drought
25: Percent of Texas in extreme drought
64: Percent of capacity for Texas water storage reservoirs:
79: Percent of capacity for Tarrant Regional Water District
75: Percent of Four Sixes Ranch cattle that remain out of state.
40 to 45: Percent of wheat crop rated as poor or very poor
53: Percent of pastures in poor condition
0.05 inch: November rainfall in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Broken Sprinkler Head

As I make my rounds to visit the multifamily complex managers I see a number of irrigation issues that seem to exist at nearly all properties and result in millions of gallons and thousands of dollars in waste.   These issue generally stem from the fact that few property managers understand the financial impact of a poorly-optimized irrigation system and few maintenance managers have the knowledge (and time) to optimize the system for water conservation.

1.  Poor Controller Programming.  Many times I find sprinklers set to run during the peak evaporation periods and 3-5 times per week.  Granted, it can be challenging to set up the schedule for 87 zones but it appears that many maintenance managers take the easy road and allow them to run throughout the day.  After all, overwatering is easier than underwatering, especially with no accountably for water costs.

Misting from High Pressure

2.  Excessive Water Pressure – Larger irrigation systems require larger water meters and piping which can easily lead to higher water pressures that exceed the recommended pressure for the sprinkler head.  Keep in mind that for every 5 PSI over the recommended head pressure you’ll lose roughly 8% of your water efficiency, much of that to “misting” ultimately evaporation.  So if the recommended head pressure is 35 PSI and the system is sending 60PSI to that head then you just utilized 40% more water than you needed.    Depending on the system, we’ll install a pressure regulator in the main line, new pressure regulating heads or simply replace the screens in the heads with pressure regulating screens.

3.  Broken Heads and Piping - Excessive water pressure can create excessive issues with broken heads and piping as it creates more wear-and-tear on the system.  I can generally tell there are pressure issues (and poor maintenance) when there are multiple broken heads.

Excessive Irrigation Runoff

4.  Excessive Runoff - Runoff can be caused by broken heads or piping, misaligned heads spraying on hardscape or controller programing that applies water beyond the soil saturation point.   These issues can be resolved relatively easily but many times they go unchecked creating thousands of dollars in damage to parking lots and sidewalks.

Fortunately we can solve all these issues and set up the monitoring and inspections to avoid them in the future.   Just contact us for a free evaluation.  We may even be able to fund this work directly from the water savings it provides.

Many multifamily maintenance managers are focused more on “putting out fires” and have little time to proactively optimize the irrigation systems for maximum efficiency.   There is really no accountability for the landscape water usage and costs.

Our landscape water management service utilizes cutting-edge technology to ensure your apartment complex sprinkler system applies the precise amount of water for your plant type, soil type, temperature, slope and rainfall. We also remotely monitor, adjust and report the usage to the property manager.  We’ll now become accountable for the landscape water usage.  If you feel you are using too much water then you have someone to call.

Check out this great article from Chris Lee at the Property Manager Insider on Multifamily Communities are leveraging smart irrigation technologies to save water and money.

http://www.propertymanagementinsider.com/multifamily-communities-get-smart-about-irrigation-thanks-to-high-tech-sprinkler-systems.html

“It’s where people go, ‘Oh look, we’re running out of water,’ and then it rains and everyone goes, ‘Oh, everything’s fine’ and go right back into the habits of what got us into a drought in the first place,” said Alyssa Burgin, executive director of the Texas Drought Project.

Read the rest of the story at the Fort Worth Weekly.

Read the full story at USA Today.

Take a flight over Lake Travis and it’s easy to notice the water line has moved away from many pricey homes. While lake levels rise and drop over time, this one is testing the patience of those who make a living off the lake.

More info here…

“When the 83^rd legislature convenes in January, we’re going to have a unique opportunity to address the huge growth Texas is experiencing,” Straus said. “Water will be at the center of the discussion.”

Read the full story here