Every drop counts: New tech saves base dollars

Published July 12, 2010
By Monica Mendoza
21st Space Wing Public Affairs staff writer

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- By this time next year Peterson Air Force Base will have a high tech irrigation system that acts like an achy elbow - it will sense when it's about to rain.

The 21st Space Wing Civil Engineer Squadron is installing an intelligent irrigation system that will shut down when its built-in weather system shows even an eighth of an inch of rain. With the cost of water on Peterson Air Force Base expected to increase by 12 percent each year for the next six years, nobody wants the sprinklers running in the rain, said Jim Jacobsen, 21st Civil Engineer Squadron energy manager.

"Now, the sprinklers are on a timer," Mr. Jacobsen said. "With the new system, if rain is forecasted, the system operators can tell the entire system not to water."

Water conservation is a key program of the U.S. Air Force and calls for installations to reduce water consumption by 2 percent a year through 2020. Since 2007, Peterson AFB has reduced its water consumption by 2 percent a year, meeting the federal goals. That's no drop in the bucket - 2 percent equals 5.5 million gallons of water, said Randy Pieper, 21st CES resource efficiency manager.

"The first thing we started addressing was irrigation," Mr. Pieper said.

The new irrigation system will be automated from a central location and grounds managers will no longer have to manually turn off the 100 existing sprinkler controllers throughout the base.

"I set the parameters," said Rich Paquette, Embassy Lawn and Landscape head of irrigation for the base. "When we get an eighth of inch of rain, it is automatically going to send a signal to the 100 (remote controllers) and shut them off."

About half of the 100 satellite controllers are installed and already working, telling the control center when to shut down and when to power up, Mr. Paquette said. The system will also alert Mr. Paquette's team if there is a leak or broken pipe and automatically shut down the broken sprinkler.

"It's a slick unit, it works really well," he said. "The water savings are going to be substantial."

Mr. Paquette predicts the system will reduce water used for irrigation by 50 percent a year.

Water conservation is especially important as CES tries to balance the water reduction goals with keeping the grass green, Mr. Pieper said. CES has tackled the water reduction goal from a number of fronts including installing low-flow water toilets, urinals and showerheads throughout the base. Landscapers have planted native grasses, which use less water than the bluegrass previously planted on base. They've also incorporated xeriscape landscape designs, which use low water plants and colored stones instead of grass, in the areas close to buildings or on side streets. And rain sensors on sprinkler heads have been used to turn off the water once it starts raining.

"We've done pretty well with water reduction," Mr. Pieper said. "We've met our goal for
2009."

For Peterson AFB, the installation of the new high tech irrigation system couldn't be more urgent. Colorado Springs Utilities is building a $1.1 billion pipeline from the Pueblo Reservoir to Colorado Springs, which will necessitate an increase in water rates.

"CSU has notified us that we will see a 12 percent increase in the water bill each year through 2016 - that effectively doubles our bill," Mr. Jacobsen said.

Now, Peterson pays about $100,000 a month in water bills. The good news is that once the pipeline is built, Peterson AFB hopes to tap into it for non-potable water, which could be used to water the grass and would be less expensive, Mr. Pieper said.

Five ways to reduce water use
1. When washing dishes by hand, don't let the water run while rinsing. Fill one sink with wash water and one sink with rinse water.
2. Adjust sprinklers so only the lawn is watered - not the sidewalk or side of the house.
3. Run the clothes and dishwasher only when they are full. (You can save up to 1,000 gallons a month)
4. Use the garbage disposal sparingly. (Try composting vegetable food waste instead)
5. Plant in the fall when conditions are cooler and rainfall is more plentiful.

Irrigation system saves money at PAFB