Water Management

By Tim Wilson

Water management is a term that has become widely used in recent years. What does it mean? More specifically, what does it mean to working professionals in the green industry?

Water is a resource similar in some ways to oil, metals or forests, etc. It is a natural resource. However, unlike minerals or oil, it is never "used up." Water is simply moved around and recycled and that is a good thing! The bad part is that we cannot "create" more water. The amount of water that is on the earth today is the same as it was a million years ago. It just changes form and location. Water can be vapor, as in a cloud, ice, or liquid. Water can be stored in lakes, streams, wells and aquifers, ice caps and glaciers. We can deplete an aquifer (which is a disturbing trend), but all we do is move that water somewhere else. We do not "use it up." That water is still on the planet somewhere in some form.

A current and prevalent problem is that sometimes we use water and then "return it" in worse condition than we received it. Even though the water is still here, it may be in such poor shape, due to pollutants, salts, etc., that it cannot be used for anything productive.

To define water management we must first define water conservation. This can be a misleading term. When we "conserve" water, we actually "re-direct" it for some other use. It is not saved somewhere with our name on it for a time when we might need it. Water that is conserved is used for many things. It could be used for further development, such as new homes or businesses. It might be kept in lakes and streams for environmental purposes, or it could be used in agriculture to grow crops. The point is that the water you save is used for some other purpose. You may not always agree with those purposes, but that is the reality. We have state and federal agencies that are charged with managing water and making those decisions.

Many people equate conservation with curtailment. Watering efficiently means that one uses water wisely whether or not there is a drought or other type of water shortage. Conserving water should be practiced all the time by watering efficiently. Curtailment is a term used to define short-term measures that go into effect during times of drought, etc. Watering restrictions that limit watering to twice a week, for example, is curtailment.

The most important decision you can make is to do your part to wisely manage the water you are given. If we all do this, then most experts agree that there is enough water for human consumption, development, industry, the environment and agriculture for a very long time to come.

Therefore, water management can be viewed on a global scale, a continental scale, or a watershed scale. It can also be viewed on a specific site scale and that is what we will look at in this book. If we take care to use our water efficiently on a site-by-site basis, many of the larger water problems will solve themselves.

Managing water correctly means to be a wise steward of the water that is allotted to us for our use. Many people can argue that some uses are inappropriate or wasteful, however, as the saying goes, "One man's ceiling is another man's floor." This book is not written to debate those philosophical issues.

Anyone involved in the landscape irrigation process is responsible for water management: the manufacturer of irrigation products, the nursery that grows and sells the plant material, the distributor of plants and irrigation equipment, the contractor that installs and the end-user or contractor that maintains the site, all of these parties are responsible for efficient water management. A manufacturer should be concerned about water management in any country that they sell products. A distributor should take some responsibility for water management in its company's sales territory. Designers or contractors should be concerned with water management on the projects that they design, install or maintain. Individually, you may become involved in wise water management on a global or national scale. For the purposes of this book, we are looking at your professional stewardship in the area in which you work.

Water is not the only thing that flows downhill. If a project is designed poorly with poorly made parts, or poorly selected plant material, it will be difficult to manage from the start. On the other hand, great material with an expert design can be wasted if not installed and maintained correctly.

Therefore, wise water management is everyone's responsibility. In this book we will look at the role of the water management expert in this process. Quite often that role involves trying to overcome mistakes made along the way by others.

There are many businesses, groups, agencies and organizations that are interested in how water is used and distributed. Below is a partial list:

The human race (we need it to live)
Plant and animal life and the environmental groups whose efforts are aimed at representing their interests
For-profit water companies (these companies make a profit from distributing water)
Public water utilities (these agencies sell water, but not for profit)
Farmers
Golf courses
Homeowners associations
Land developers
Businesses (many businesses need large amounts of water to produce their products)
Native American tribes (many tribes have water rights for fishing, farming, etc.)
The green industry (landscape, nursery, irrigation, golf)
Recreational groups and the agencies that manage lakes and reservoirs
The Bureau of Reclamation
State natural resource agencies
The National Resource Conservation Service
The Environmental Protection Agency

There are others as well. Another name for these groups is "stakeholder." All of these groups have viable claims to water. When drought and water shortages hit your area there is a game of musical chairs that is played to see who gets the water. Those with legal rights to water have the best shot at a chair. Many times the groups that can show that they are being wise and efficient with their water use get to have a chair when the music stops. Sometimes it comes down to cutting off almost everyone, so that humans can drink and bathe.

Water suppliers and utilities look to conservation as a relatively cheap source of water. Compared to building dams, digging wells, building treatment plants, or buying water rights, conservation is a viable option for delivering new water supplies. It also is less disruptive to the environment.

Groups that have resources, connections and effective marketing plans are quite often successful in getting their water needs met. In general, sites that can show that they are doing a competent and aggressive job of wisely managing their water can get exceptions to drought restrictions or at the least a greatly reduced water rate.

Efficient water management is not easy or cheap. It takes skilled and experienced experts to formulate a good plan. These plans are often detailed, and require a multi-pronged approach to have significant, long-term effects. It also takes money from the property owner to implement a plan. Under most conditions, the original investment is quickly paid off through reduced water bills.

There is no "silver bullet" for seriously reducing landscape/golf water use. Many companies claim to have it. Many groups believe they have discovered the magic technique to solve our problems. The truth is that it will take serious effort and sacrifice on the part of the green industry, in a multifaceted approach, in order to have a chair at the water table when the music stops.