Petaluma Schools To Use WeatherTRAK |
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May 5, 2008 From North Bay Business Journal By Loralee Stevens Irrigation technology saves dollars, reduces water waste and power waste. Petaluma will be the first city school system to adopt HydroPoint’s WeatherTrak smart irrigation system. It’s following the lead of the city of Petaluma, which has been testing out the high-tech irrigation control systems. WeatherTrak technology pulls down a stream of satellite weather data and coordinates it with local moisture readings to determine when and how much water to apply to plants. “Our 2007 pilot programs proved so successful in conserving water in Petaluma city parks and municipal building landscaping that the city also added 27 new installations,” said Chris Spain, HydroPoint’s president and CEO. The city reduced water use by 24 percent. In another local pilot program, 73 residences that were equipped with the high-tech metering devices saw water use drop by 35 percent. As awareness of global warming and the need to conserve water reach Fortune 500 boardrooms and legislative bodies, HydroPoint has seen its corporate and municipal customer lists soar. Google, Amazon, Panasonic and Lockheed Martin use the systems, along with cities across the southern U.S. According to Steve Bolman, Petaluma schools’ deputy superintendent of business and administration, the decision followed a pilot controller program at a single site several years ago. “It worked very effectively, and we began to install the WeatherTrak systems at other sites. A rebate offered by the Sonoma County Water Agency and the relatively short payback period made it attractive.” Just before the rebate program ended a month ago, the school system installed the equipment at all but a few of the smallest of its 17 sites. Casa Grande High School alone has three large athletic fields, and all the elementary schools have smaller playing fields, so water usage is high. “We were paying approximately $190,000 a year on water. With the 25 percent savings we saw on our pilot programs, we’ll save at least $50,000 a year,” said Mr. Bolman. The Petaluma school system is the first to adopt WeatherTrak on all campuses, but it won’t be the last, said Mr. Spain. Last year, the city of Healdsburg reduced water use and costs by 28 percent over the previous year after replacing ordinary irrigation controllers installed at parks and the high school with the smart technology. This year Healdsburg will add nine additional sites. “Public schools are too cash-strapped to waste money on inefficient irrigation systems. Besides, they’re setting a great example for the students by using green technology,” said Mr. Spain. He estimates the Petaluma school system will annually save 11 million gallons of water, 44 million watt hours of power and 240 hours of labor. |
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