Copper Hills High School
West Jordan, Utah
The landscape was like an errant teenager. It needed discipline. Keeping this "student" in class and on time was becoming a handful. And it was costing a lot of money for water. Jordan School District in Salt Lake City decided to try the Baseline system to help solve various site management problems and curb water use. Brady Bartholomew, custodian at Copper Hills, always felt that he could do a better job managing the site but needed some help and was eager to give Baseline a try.
The new Baseline system was installed at the 45 acre Copper Hills High School. West Jordan City targeted the school because it was the largest water user within city boundaries, using 65 million gallons of water over a five to six month watering season.
The project replaced nine conventional (ET ready) controllers and was completed in about five days under the supervision of Ewing Irrigation's Utah Regional Manager, Brad Mecham.
The computer based system has eliminated the management of nine separate clocks. Each group of zones controlled by a sensor "waters itself" by determining when and how much to water.
As for game schedules for ball fields and soccer fields? They are set and changed with ease and the system blocks out the watering. No more last minute fire drills to shut off the water during a game. And now Brady can watch the game with confidence, knowing that when the game is over, the system will automatically take over the watering job. He doesn't have to worry about how much and when to water. Brady's only worry now is how the football team is doing.
The Baseline system works by communicating with moisture sensors installed around the school in the different areas, such as turf, shrub, and athletic fields. Once set up, the controller constantly monitors the moisture sensors around the school. When the sensors read a low moisture condition, they call for water. The controller checks for "block out periods" and starts watering. When the moisture is restored, the watering is turned off. Soak cycle watering also helps get the water down to the roots efficiently.
This feature is a key advantage over conventional "dumb" or even "smart ET" controllers that require manual programming and guesswork. Site mangers can't always be on site and normally don't have the information needed to make timely, appropriate and necessary adjustments. Without real time sensor data, conventional scheduling is truly a best guess scenario. "In today's water conscious environment, public agencies must take a lead position in demonstrating the need for watering sites efficiently," says Scott Doman, a Baseline Sales Representative.
So not only is Copper Hills seeing green, Brady is now on the same team as the coaches.