‘Water Wise’ Landscape
Contractor Program
Developed by the
Oregon Landscape Contractors Association
and it’s
Environmental Resource Committee
Table of Contents
Section
Introductions 1-2
Contractor requirements 3
Qualifications & Business practices
and Routines 3
Contractor education 3
Contractor benefits 4
Best management practices (BMP’s)
Soil Conditioning 4-6
· Willamette Valley region
· Central Oregon region
Landscape maintenance 6
Irrigation Association 7-14
· Irrigation Best Management Practices
Introduction
The beauty and function of landscapes are valued by Americans from coast to coast. Indeed, billions are invested annually to enhance our landscapes. With water consumption on the rise, it is paramount to save and extend our water supply and protect water quality while enabling consumers to maintain healthy, functional and appealing landscapes.
The landscape and irrigation industry must demonstrate the ability to irrigate efficiently. The landscape industry is the most visible user of water in an urban setting. Landscape water use during the growing season defines the “peak load” that the water delivery infrastructure must accommodate. The failure to demonstrate efficient irrigation could set the stage for serious consequences to the landscape industry. A drought or perceived water shortage could provide all the impetus necessary for onerous mandates determining when and how much to irrigate as well as the type of plants a landscape can have. The ability to irrigate efficiently will help the landscape industry control its destiny.
- The Irrigation Association & its Water
Management Committee
The Oregon Landscape Contractors Association created our Environmental Resource Committee to further represent the interests of the association and its’ members with respect to environmental issues facing the citizenry of the State of Oregon, and to influence public and private debate of the issues for the betterment of our industry and association.
Our committee’s mission statement states –
The ERC acknowledges that water conservation and its availability will be a resource of increasing importance to the landscape industry and the public. The ERC further acknowledges that the landscape industry must play a fundamental role in water management. The ERC, therefore, will promote sound stewardship of Oregon’s water resources and will act as an advocate for the landscape industry and the public through the promotion of WaterWise technologies and strategies.
Our ‘Water Wise’ contractor program seeks to fulfill both our charter and our mission statement. By partnering with OLCA’s public agency associate members and interested groups within private industry, we believe the program places OLCA at the cutting edge of the water management debate here in Oregon, and over time will give those contractors who choose to participate, distinct advantages they can use within their marketplace to improve their business and increase their success.
- The ERC committee
Contractor Requirements
To qualify for the program a contractor must –
- Be properly licensed as a landscape contractor by the State of Oregon, and keep the license in good standing with the Landscape Contractors Board.
- Ensure that all company owners or employees engaged in water management decision making be properly skilled and trained. Owners or employees engaged in irrigation system design, head layout, nozzle selection, programming, customer walk thru and training, and follow up system maintenance and adjustments must hold a current IA (Irrigation Association) certification as an irrigation auditor and/or designer and/or contractor.
- Adopt and pursue, as a characteristic of their business operation, the BMP’s (Best Management Practices) for ‘WaterWise’ landscaping.
- Apply and renew annually through the OLCA office.
Qualifications, Business Practices & Routines
· have an IA qualified irrigation auditor/designer/contractor on staff or as a sub-contractor
· perform soil conditioning based on verified knowledge of the soil’s pH, texture, organic%, nutrient levels
· design irrigation systems by IA standards
· program initial watering schedules based on historical ET & effective rainfall
· offer irrigation design packages to new owners including as-built, pertinent site info, owner training, and monthly watering budgets
· offer to perform a follow up field audit of new system operation and make adjustments
· offer periodic audit/maintenance schedules to owners
Contractor education
IA classes that relate to ‘water wise’ qualifications are –
· Certified irrigation contractor (CIC)
· Field hydraulics
· Irrigation system installation and maintenance
· Certified landscape irrigation auditor (CLIA)
· Landscape irrigation design
· Predicting and estimating landscape water use
· Principles of irrigation
· Sprinkler system scheduling
· Advance head layout
* A soil conditioning class is being developed by the ERC
These classes are being offered yearly, some or all in your area. Check with OLCA’s offices to see when these classes will be offered.
Contractor benefits
These following benefits are being developed for ‘water wise’ contractors. Check with a member of the committee, for the status of each of these benefits in your area.
1. Have a special ‘water wise’ designation along with your company info in OLCA’s membership directory.
2. Have your company and/or ‘water wise’ certified employees posted on a special ‘water wise’ section/page of OLCA’s web site.
3. Invitations to municipal/water provider sponsored ‘water wise’ workshops.
4. Municipal/water provider ‘water wise’ marketing & promotion.
5. Business opportunities by ‘green industry’ adoption of ‘water wise’ bmp’s for land development & care.
6. State agency partnerships, promotion, and business opportunities.
7. Supplier incentives and promotion.
BMP’s for ‘Water Wise’ Landscaping
Best Management Practices for ‘Water Wise’ landscaping & maintenance are voluntary procedures, implemented by landscape professionals, that are designed to reduce water consumption and maintain water quality within the landscape environment. They are economical, practical and sustainable and will maintain a healthy, functional landscape without exceeding the water requirements of the landscape.
- the IA –
The critical practices required to achieve a ‘water wise’ landscape involve the landscape’s soil conditioning, irrigation system installation & management, and the maintenance of the landscape itself.
BMP’s for the Willamette Valley region
Soil conditioning
A healthy Willamette valley soil will contain the following approximate properties –
a. 25% air
b. 25% water
c. 3-8% organic matter – 3% minimum for turf, 5% minimum for plants
d. soil texture containing relatively equal parts of sand, silt, clay
e. turf area soil pH 6.0-6.5
f. plant area soil pH 6.0
g. adequate & non-toxic levels of macro & micro nutrients to match plant needs
h. adequate microbial activity to match plant needs
Improve soil health during landscape installation by applying the following practices –
1. Use undisturbed existing native soils whenever possible
2. Use imported weed seed free soils that are the closest in texture to what’s existing
3. Use fertilizers and amendments, such as quality assured compost, with properties that encourage microbial activity
4. During cultivation, avoid overworking or pulverizing the soil particles, working with wet soils, or disturbing native topsoil
5. Include site conditions, landscape features, plant & turf selections, owner’s intended usage and level of care, into any soil conditioning decision making
6. Test the existing soil. Perform both a soil analysis test (measures chemistry) and a physical characteristic test (measures texture) and use the results to determine necessary improvements and guide soil conditioning procedures
7. Adjust the soil pH. Apply lime type as prescribed (calcined or dolomitic) and/or gypsum to start new turf at pH 6.5 and new plants at pH 6.0
8. Replenish macronutrients N,P,K and micronutrients as prescribed
9. Add quality assured (STA approved) composted garden or manure based organic matter for plant beds –
a. organic matter below 3% add 2”
b. organic matter 3-5% add 1”
c. organic matter above 5% - not required
for turf –
a. organic matter below 3” add 1”
b. organic matter above 3% - not required
10. Share the results of the soil testing with the property owner. Give them and/or their maintenance provider a copy of any soil test report and explain the recommended conditioning improvements proposed and/or performed
BMP’s for the Central Oregon region
Soil conditioning (addendum to Willamette valley region)
The Central Oregon growing season tends to be short, averaging 75 days in Bend. Soils tend to be low fertility, low organic matter sandy to lithic and at a near neutral pH. Soil amendment with organics (ex. compost, manures) is the standard cultural practice for creating viable soil under these conditions. The pH tends to be slightly alkaline in sagebrush steppe and arid lower elevation areas with lower relative precipitation and slightly acidic in higher elevation, forested areas with higher precipitation. Climate is highly variable, characterized by low summer precipitation, cold nights and highly variable temperatures during the growing season.
The Central Oregon region follows the Willamette valley region, with the following noted exceptions -
1. Sandy and silty sand soils, which are the most common soils in the area, may need higher organic amendment to provide cation exchange and water holding capacity.
2. Adjust the soil pH if needed, or for plants requiring acidic soil. Use sulphur products or organics to lower pH. Lime is not often needed in Central Oregon as acidic soils are rare to the region.
3. Optimum pH ranges are for 6.5-7.5 for both turf and plants.
Landscape maintenance
At the request of the property owner, maintain healthy landscapes and aid in controlling landscape water usage –
1. Maintain minimum 2” mulch layer in plant beds
2. Mow ryegrass turf to 2” height, mulch mow when possible
3. Aerate turf areas 2 time yearly
4. Treat for thatch buildup when required
5. Maintain optimum pH levels
6. Perform periodic soil testing to re-measure and adjust ongoing maintenance practices
7. Topdress turf with 1/8-1/4” quality assured compost screened to 3/8” minus or finer annually in late spring and/or early fall, Unless organic matter is above 3%
8. Use slow release or organic fertilizers to time nutrient release with the warming of the soil and plant growth, and to prevent nutrient leaching
THE IRRIGATION
ASSOCIATION
An Overview:
Turf and Landscape Irrigation
Best ManagementPractices
Developed by The Irrigation Association
The beauty and function of landscapes are valued by Americans from coast to coast. Indeed, billions are invested annually to enhance our landscapes. With water consumption on the rise, it is paramount to save and extend our water supply and protect water quality while enabling consumers to maintain healthy, functional and appealing landscapes.
BMPs: Sound Ideas
The rrrigation Association has developed Turf and Landscape Irrigation Best Management Practices (BMPs). The BMPs have been developed from science-based principles. These practices and guidelines will enable the creation of locally derived standards and specifications to better manage a finite resource. The need for science-based and practical information to guide water use decisions will become more critical as the demands on water resources increase.
Policymakers, water purveyors, municipalities, architects, planners and the green industry will be increasingly responsible-and accountable-for proper water allocation and use. 'The BMPs are a tool to help ensure reasonable policy and practices are implemented at each level of the water management and delivery process, while increasing professionalism and expertise in water management.
The Turf and Landscape Irrigation BMPs, available at www.irrigation.org, include Practice Guidelines that support local implementation of the BMPs and complement existing turf and landscape cultivation practices. The guidelines provide essential details for developing practices appropriate to a community's resources as they relate to economic, professional and political dynamics.
Visibility Mandates Accountability
The Turf and Landscape Irrigation BMPs have been developed for use in a wide range of activities, from local and regional policy-making to achieving the most efficient irrigation practices. The BMPs will help you to understand the need for effective water policy and management, as well as how to implement and manage efficient turf and landscape irrigation systems. Turf and landscape irrigation is one of the most visible uses of water in an urban setting, so stakeholders at every level must demonstrate their understanding of the resource and the technology that delivers it.
Failing to demonstrate efficient irrigation could set the stage for serious consequences to water delivery and management industries. A drought or perceived water shortage could trigger inappropriate mandates that determine when and how much to irrigate, as well as ornamental plant restrictions. The irrigation industry's ability to irrigate efficiently, based on sound water policy and water delivery practices, will help water-related industries control their destinies.
An Overview: Turf and Landscape Irrigation Best Management Practices
THE IRRIGATION
ASSOCIATION
Stakeholders Share the Responsibility
The Turf and Landscape Irrigation Best Management Practices identifies the major stakeholders and their responsibilities related to water conservation and management in simple charts.
Primary stakeholders: water purveyors, irrigation system owners, irrigation designers, irrigation contractors, and landscape maintenance personnel.
Additional stakeholders: state, federal, public agencies, landscape contractors, nurseries, plus related universities, landscape industries and associations.
Each stakeholder group has specific needs and operates with different resources. Adoption of the BMPs in local markets requires support at numerous stakeholder levels.
BMPs Raise the Bar and Offer More Benefits
Compared to previous "efficiency" initiatives, the Turf and Landscape Irrigation BMPs offer both broad and encompassing information to ensure the installation and management of efficient irrigation systems. Additionally, the BMPs encourage interactive partnerships between the water purveyor, green industry and property owner, provide a common resource for a variety of stakeholders, and facilitate the launch of local initiatives through the Practice Guidelines. Finally, this resource advances a more sophisticated look at irrigation that should help policy makers and the public at large to make sensible, informed decisions regarding regional water use and response to drought.
Specifically, the Turf and Landscape Irrigation BMPs can:
· Engage the local water purveyor and the green industry in water-allowance planning, as both are accountable for reducing water use in a way that maintains healthy landscapes;
· Decrease peak water demand, which mitigates the need for potentially expensive and unnecessary infrastructure improvements;