Water-saving device has hopes high

June Casagrande

NEWPORT BEACH -- Officials are hoping a new device can make huge

strides in water quality by preventing the overwatering of lawns that

sends runoff into local waters.

The Irvine Ranch Water District is considering installing a device

called WeatherTrak in homes it serves in Newport Coast. The system

receives satellite information about rainfall and weather conditions and,

calculating in factors such as the soil type and ground inclination,

decides when to turn sprinklers on and off.

“We think this has great promise,” Tom Ash of the Irvine Ranch Water

District said. “Chances are almost every home could use this.”

Ash gave a presentation on the system to members of the Coastal/Bay

Water Quality Citizens Advisory Committee on Feb. 14.

“I’m impressed,” Mayor Tod Ridgeway said.

Ash said that it’s likely that sometime in the fall the district could

begin contacting homeowners in the area about installing the devices,

which are manufactured by privately held Network Services Corp. of

Petaluma, Calif. The 8-inch square box costs about $150 each, and the

satellite network service is about $4 per month, Ash said.

The district hopes to pay for the boxes through grants or other

funding sources. But it’s likely the homeowners will be asked to pay the

monthly fee because, Ash said, the device saves more than that each month

for the average homeowner.

“This means we can finally get this out of the hands of homeowners and

landscapers,” said Ash, noting that the average homeowner doesn’t have

the time or information to calculate all the factors necessary for the

most water-efficient irrigation.

With the WeatherTrak, he said, the homeowner puts in information about

the individual property, including the types of plants being watered in

up to 12 different areas of the lawn. That information is stored by the

company. If a power loss or other event causes the data to be erased, the

satellite connection will automatically restore the individual device’s

settings.

The water district is considering the WeatherTrak system as part of

its ongoing water-conservation efforts. But for Newport Beach, the big

draw is the benefit to local waters such as Buck Gully, where lawn over

watering can result in chemicals and pet waste in the water.

If the program is successful in Newport Coast, the city could begin

looking for ways to use the technology throughout the city.