Low-flow irrigation systems
Encyclopedia
Low-flow irrigation systems, called low volume irrigation or microirrigation, is an irrigation
method that operates under a lower water pressure than standard service systems, with a "lower-flow" resulting when combined with water delivery components manufactured for this application. Low volume irrigation is used in agriculture for row crops and orchard
s; in the horticulture industry at wholesale
nursery growing grounds; in the landscape industry for civic, commercial, and private landscapes and gardens; and in the restoration ecology
and environmental remediation sciences and professional methods.
Use of Low volume irrigation and Microirrigation systems on green building
candidate projects can help them to "accumulate points" for LEED - (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
certification rating and awards.
emitter
s, trickle-"spider spray", micro spray-sprinkler
s, and-or mist emitters; to distribute irrigation
water slowly in small volumes and targeting it to plants' root zones with less-no runoff
or "overshooting" or landscape
and garden
"regular flow" conventional spray and rotary sprinklers. The low volume allows the water to penetrate and be absorbed into slow-percolation soils, such as [clay]], and those with a 'packed dirt' hard surface, minimizing water runoff.
and sustainable landscaping
.
-'Spider sprays' work well for plants with more fibrous root systems, tree and large shrub basins, and in pots and container gardens - allowing automated watering of plants on decks and patios. Mist
emitters can also be used in pot, both on the ground and hanging, with humidity-fog watering for epiphyte
s and fern
s replicating habitats.
micro sprinklers can be attached to conventional 'hard plumbed' PVC
supply systems on stationary or pop-up risers, when pressure regulators are set low to specifications and the pop-ups are specified for lower GPM pressure operation. Low volume spray heads can also be installed in a similar manner as Trickle emitters above, mounted on stakes and attached to small diameter tubing connected to flexible supply pipe.
radius; the current most prominent one under the Hunter Industries trade name "MP Rotator"; - but with water delivery at Low-flow rates. It has the same slow application rate, deep penetration-absorption, and reduced-eliminated runoff benefits as the micro-sprinklers, but serves large civic, commercial, and private landscape installations. Low flow- spray heads are used to retro-fit existing conventional spray heads on standard-flow systems, utilizing pressure reduction devices. Some cities, such as Santa Monica, California
, and water districts such as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
, have offered rebates and specified "this product or equal" clauses for building permits requiring landscape plan-water use calculation submittal.
and furrow irrigation for vegetables, fruits and berries, and other high-value crops.
Another type of delivery components, micro sprinklers
and "spider sprays", supply water from low-volume sprinkler heads located above the surface. This is often used for fruit and nut orchard
s and vineyards. Low flow systems are expensive for large-scale agricultural use and are predominantly used for high-value crops.
industry, wholesale
growers and plant nurseries often use the trickle emitters for 5 gallons (18.9 l) and larger container stock, to automate watering. Attached to longer supply tubing on short stakes, they are easily movable to new containers when stock is moved or sold. Mist
emitters are used for propagation
, epiphytes, and other plants needing higher humidity
.
habitat
restoration
and environmental remediation projects. The lower operating pressure can be the only choice for remote locations with well
s or small storage tank
water sources. It is used in temporary installations during initial establishment periods, and being on the soil surface easily removable with minimal damage to the recovering plant community. An example is its use in riparian zone restoration
, and environmental remediation projects using Phytoremediation
and Bioremediation
techniques.
; city, water district, and state-province level regulations and codes are beginning to encourage, offer rebates with use, or mandate significantly reduced water allowances, at higher costs, that are bringing many water conservation
products and techniques both to the forefront and more competitively matched to traditional irrigation system costs.
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
method that operates under a lower water pressure than standard service systems, with a "lower-flow" resulting when combined with water delivery components manufactured for this application. Low volume irrigation is used in agriculture for row crops and orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s; in the horticulture industry at wholesale
Wholesale
Wholesaling, jobbing, or distributing is defined as the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users, or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services...
nursery growing grounds; in the landscape industry for civic, commercial, and private landscapes and gardens; and in the restoration ecology
Restoration ecology
-Definition:Restoration ecology is the scientific study and practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human intervention and action, within a short time frame...
and environmental remediation sciences and professional methods.
Use of Low volume irrigation and Microirrigation systems on green building
Green building
Green building refers to a structure and using process that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition...
candidate projects can help them to "accumulate points" for LEED - (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
certification rating and awards.
Description
'Low-flow irrigation systems can use dripDrip irrigation
Drip irrigation, also known as trickle irrigation or microirrigation or localized irrigation , is an irrigation method which saves water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone, through a network of valves,...
emitter
Emitter
-In general:*A device used to exude any signal, beacon, light, odor, liquid, fragrance, ionizing particles or any other type of signal.-In horticulture:*A device used in drip irrigation.-In electronics and instrument physics:...
s, trickle-"spider spray", micro spray-sprinkler
Irrigation sprinkler
Irrigation sprinklers are sprinklers used on farms, golf courses, and yards, to provide water to vegetation and plants in the event of drought. They may also be used for recreation, as a cooling system, or to keep down the amount of airborne dust....
s, and-or mist emitters; to distribute irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
water slowly in small volumes and targeting it to plants' root zones with less-no runoff
Runoff
Run-off or runoff may refer to:* Surface runoff, the flow of water, from rain, snow melt, or other sources, over land* Runoff model , a mathematical model describing the rainfall-runoff relations of a rainfall catchment area or watershed...
or "overshooting" or landscape
Landscape design
Landscape design is an independent profession and a design and art tradition, practised by landscape designers, combining nature and culture. In contemporary practice landscape design bridges between landscape architecture and garden design.-Design scope:...
and garden
Garden design
Garden design is the art and process of designing and creating plans for layout and planting of gardens and landscapes. Garden design may be done by the garden owner themselves, or by professionals of varying levels of experience and expertise...
"regular flow" conventional spray and rotary sprinklers. The low volume allows the water to penetrate and be absorbed into slow-percolation soils, such as [clay]], and those with a 'packed dirt' hard surface, minimizing water runoff.
System components - all uses
With any application finer gauge and flush-able inline filtration, pressure regulation for reduced static and dynamic GPM (gallons per minute), and manual shutoff valves for repair, additions, and adjustment is required. Since water conservation is a frequent reason for choosing Low-flow irrigation systems, also installing moisture sensors, rain shutoffs, wind shutoffs, and the new computerized ET Controllers significantly enhance water expense reductions, resource conservation, and sustainable agricultureSustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is the practice of farming using principles of ecology, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment...
and sustainable landscaping
Sustainable landscaping
Sustainable landscaping encompasses a variety of practices that have developed in response to environmental issues. These practices are used in every phase of landscaping, including design, construction, implementation and management of residential and commercial landscapes. Issues of...
.
Drip
Low-flow irrigation systems in gardens using drip apply water through two methods:- pre installed small holes in small diameter tubes placed on or below the surface or
- self cleaning emitterEmitter-In general:*A device used to exude any signal, beacon, light, odor, liquid, fragrance, ionizing particles or any other type of signal.-In horticulture:*A device used in drip irrigation.-In electronics and instrument physics:...
s, in different precipitation rates, pre installed or contractor installed for different rate emitters on same supply line (ie: trees-higher, perennials-lower). The Flexible supply pipe can be buried either underground or pinned on the surface and buried under
Trickle emitters
Trickle emitters, also called 'spider sprays,' come in fixed or adjustable radius shapes and diameters, and are installed directly on the flexible supply pipe or on tubing connected to it, and mounted on small stakes. Trickle emitterEmitter
-In general:*A device used to exude any signal, beacon, light, odor, liquid, fragrance, ionizing particles or any other type of signal.-In horticulture:*A device used in drip irrigation.-In electronics and instrument physics:...
-'Spider sprays' work well for plants with more fibrous root systems, tree and large shrub basins, and in pots and container gardens - allowing automated watering of plants on decks and patios. Mist
Mist
Mist is a phenomenon of small droplets suspended in air. It can occur as part of natural weather or volcanic activity, and is common in cold air above warmer water, in exhaled air in the cold, and in a steam room of a sauna. It can also be created artificially with aerosol canisters if the...
emitters can also be used in pot, both on the ground and hanging, with humidity-fog watering for epiphyte
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
s and fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s replicating habitats.
Low volume spray - small
Low volume spray headIrrigation sprinkler
Irrigation sprinklers are sprinklers used on farms, golf courses, and yards, to provide water to vegetation and plants in the event of drought. They may also be used for recreation, as a cooling system, or to keep down the amount of airborne dust....
micro sprinklers can be attached to conventional 'hard plumbed' PVC
PVC
Polyvinyl chloride is a plastic.PVC may also refer to:*Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military honor*Peripheral venous catheter, a small, flexible tube placed into a peripheral vein in order to administer medication or fluids...
supply systems on stationary or pop-up risers, when pressure regulators are set low to specifications and the pop-ups are specified for lower GPM pressure operation. Low volume spray heads can also be installed in a similar manner as Trickle emitters above, mounted on stakes and attached to small diameter tubing connected to flexible supply pipe.
Low volume spray - large
A different low volume landscape irrigation system is more similar in installation, durability, and a long sprayIrrigation sprinkler
Irrigation sprinklers are sprinklers used on farms, golf courses, and yards, to provide water to vegetation and plants in the event of drought. They may also be used for recreation, as a cooling system, or to keep down the amount of airborne dust....
radius; the current most prominent one under the Hunter Industries trade name "MP Rotator"; - but with water delivery at Low-flow rates. It has the same slow application rate, deep penetration-absorption, and reduced-eliminated runoff benefits as the micro-sprinklers, but serves large civic, commercial, and private landscape installations. Low flow- spray heads are used to retro-fit existing conventional spray heads on standard-flow systems, utilizing pressure reduction devices. Some cities, such as Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, and water districts such as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is the largest municipal utility in the United States, serving over four million residents. It was founded in 1902 to supply water and electricity to residents and businesses in Los Angeles and surrounding communities...
, have offered rebates and specified "this product or equal" clauses for building permits requiring landscape plan-water use calculation submittal.
Agriculture
Low-flow irrigation systems often use the two delivery components of drip or trickle systems to apply water through small holes in small diameter tubes placed on or below the surface of the field. This is done instead of agricultural surface irrigationSurface irrigation
Surface irrigation is defined as the group of application techniques where water is applied and distributed over the soil surface by gravity. It is by far the most common form of irrigation throughout the world and has been practiced in many areas virtually unchanged for thousands of years.Surface...
and furrow irrigation for vegetables, fruits and berries, and other high-value crops.
Another type of delivery components, micro sprinklers
Irrigation sprinkler
Irrigation sprinklers are sprinklers used on farms, golf courses, and yards, to provide water to vegetation and plants in the event of drought. They may also be used for recreation, as a cooling system, or to keep down the amount of airborne dust....
and "spider sprays", supply water from low-volume sprinkler heads located above the surface. This is often used for fruit and nut orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s and vineyards. Low flow systems are expensive for large-scale agricultural use and are predominantly used for high-value crops.
Nursery industry
In the HorticultureHorticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
industry, wholesale
Wholesale
Wholesaling, jobbing, or distributing is defined as the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users, or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services...
growers and plant nurseries often use the trickle emitters for 5 gallons (18.9 l) and larger container stock, to automate watering. Attached to longer supply tubing on short stakes, they are easily movable to new containers when stock is moved or sold. Mist
Mist
Mist is a phenomenon of small droplets suspended in air. It can occur as part of natural weather or volcanic activity, and is common in cold air above warmer water, in exhaled air in the cold, and in a steam room of a sauna. It can also be created artificially with aerosol canisters if the...
emitters are used for propagation
Plant propagation
Plant propagation is the process of creating new plants from a variety of sources: seeds, cuttings, bulbs and other plant parts. Plant propagation can also refer to the artificial or natural dispersal of plants.-Sexual propagation :...
, epiphytes, and other plants needing higher humidity
Humidity
Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...
.
Ecological restoration & Phytoremediation projects
Low-flow irrigation systems are used on some native plantNative plant
Native plant is a term to describe plants endemic or naturalized to a given area in geologic time.This includes plants that have developed, occur naturally, or existed for many years in an area...
habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
restoration
Restoration ecology
-Definition:Restoration ecology is the scientific study and practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human intervention and action, within a short time frame...
and environmental remediation projects. The lower operating pressure can be the only choice for remote locations with well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
s or small storage tank
Water tank
A Water tank is a container for storing water. The need for a water tank is as old as civilized man, providing storage of water for drinking water, irrigation agriculture, fire suppression, agricultural farming, both for plants and livestock, chemical manufacturing, food preparation as well as many...
water sources. It is used in temporary installations during initial establishment periods, and being on the soil surface easily removable with minimal damage to the recovering plant community. An example is its use in riparian zone restoration
Riparian zone restoration
Riparian zone restoration is the ecological restoration of riparian zone habitats of streams, rivers, springs, lakes, floodplains, and other hydrologic ecologies.Riparian zones have been degraded throughout much of the world...
, and environmental remediation projects using Phytoremediation
Phytoremediation
Phytoremediation Phytoremediation Phytoremediation (from the Ancient Greek , and Latin (restoring balance or remediation) describes the treatment of environmental problems (bioremediation) through the use of plants that mitigate the environmental problem without the need to excavate the...
and Bioremediation
Bioremediation
Bioremediation is the use of microorganism metabolism to remove pollutants. Technologies can be generally classified as in situ or ex situ. In situ bioremediation involves treating the contaminated material at the site, while ex situ involves the removal of the contaminated material to be treated...
techniques.
Water conservation and regulations
As municipal and agricultural water supplies become more limited; through increased population demands, droughts, and climate changeClimate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
; city, water district, and state-province level regulations and codes are beginning to encourage, offer rebates with use, or mandate significantly reduced water allowances, at higher costs, that are bringing many water conservation
Water conservation
Water conservation refers to reducing the usage of water and recycling of waste water for different purposes such as cleaning, manufacturing, and agricultural irrigation.- Water conservation :Water conservation can be defined as:...
products and techniques both to the forefront and more competitively matched to traditional irrigation system costs.