The Roslyn Water District (RWD), alongside the Port Washington Water District (PWWD) and Irrigation Association of New York (IANY), recently hosted an Irrigation Contractor Training Webinar. The purpose of the webinar was to educate irrigation contractors on the best ways to help residents conserve water this irrigation season and follow the District’s 2022 irrigation guidelines.
“Water conservation is always crucial in the Roslyn Water District, but it is especially important during the spring and summer,” said RWD Superintendent Richard Passariello. “Every year, we see a huge spike in water usage during the warmer months as irrigation systems come online and run at their highest capacities. We thank the many irrigation contractors who participated in our webinar for showing their dedication to helping our residents conserve water and we are greatly looking forward to seeing what the future holds for water conservation in the Roslyn Water District.”
The two Districts educated the contractors on the various mandatory guidelines to which residents are required to adhere during the upcoming peak irrigation season. This includes sticking to Nassau County’s Odd/Even Lawn Watering Ordinance, cutting back on sprinkler times by two minutes per zone and only watering lawns during specific times of day based on where residents live. One of the main points of emphasis was that the Districts are requiring all residents to change from standard irrigation controllers to smart irrigation controllers by 2025. Smart controllers are some of the most effective tools when it comes to conserving water, as they use WiFi signals to read local weather reports and accurately sense the amount of rain on the ground at any given time. This ensures that lawns only receive the exact amount of water they need to remain green and lush, allowing residents to rest easy knowing that they will not be overwatering their properties.
“We greatly appreciate the efforts of the Districts and the IANY in putting this webinar together,” said Joe Tavalero, webinar attendee and owner of Custom Irrigation Corporation. “It is invaluable for us to know not only how to use the tools at our disposal as efficiently as possible,
but also how to help our customers preserve our environment. We are looking forward to using what we learned to help teach our customers about how they can best conserve water this spring and summer, especially by using smart controllers.”
Additionally, Mike Dwyer of the Irrigation Association of New York and irrigation equipment expert Irving Pena spoke at length about how contractors can choose the best tools for any specific job, including smart irrigation controllers, rotors, spray bodies, nozzles, drip irrigation and smart sensors. Selecting the correct tools when setting up irrigation systems is a crucial step in making sure they work as efficiently as possible. With the knowledge provided by Dwyer and Pena, contractors are better equipped to ensure that residents do not run the risk of overwatering or underwatering any areas of their property.
“The Irrigation Association of New York is proud to play a role in educating contractors on reducing water usage while still keeping landscapes green and healthy,” said Dwyer. “Long Island’s single-source aquifer is one of our most crucial natural resources, and we are happy to do everything we can to help our customers preserve it.”