The Colorado Master Gardener Program: Planting Gardens, Growing People
CMG Outreach in Larimer County
Irrigation Check-Up
For the past several years, Colorado Master Gardeners in Larimer County have assisted the City of Fort Collins (Colorado) Water Utilities Department with their sprinkler system audit program. This is a free service the City of Fort Collins offers to their utility customers and Home Owner Associations (HOAs). The program started in 1999, and since then 1,973 homes and 75 HOAs have been audited with paid staff and Colorado Master Gardener volunteers.
The program was designed to help the city and utility customers save water by watering lawns and landscapes more efficiently. Because the Fort Collins, Colorado area is semi-arid and natural precipitation is about 12 inches per year, this is an important program for residents. A sprinkler audit includes visual inspection of each zone to identify problems, tests that measure how water is being applied, advice on custom water schedules and information about the lawn’s seasonal needs for water.
Photo: Colorado Master Gardener, Mike Reed, reading the amount of water in a catch-can during an irrigation audit.
Colorado Master Gardeners who assist with this program are trained over a two-day period to learn about sprinkler systems, water pressure, how to conduct the water audit, calculate evapotranspiration rates and give customer service, among other topics.
In 2008, six Larimer County CMGs invested 170 volunteer hours doing irrigation audits for the City of Fort Collins; this was an increase from 2007, where the Master Gardeners donated 120 volunteer hours.
The CMG volunteers are involved in every step, from contacting the customer to set up an audit time, to performing the audit and talking with the customer about how they can improve their sprinkler system to be more efficient.
Photo: Colorado Master Gardener, Linda Beauvais, observing the irrigation cycles during an audit.
The CMG volunteers give customers information on calculations and measurements from their system, as well as Colorado State University Extension Fact Sheets on irrigation topics. In addition, since Master Gardeners are well-versed in many gardening areas, customers usually take the opportunity to ask about other issues they are having in the landscape.
Feedback from customer surveys was very positive. All survey respondents stated that the audit exceeded or met expectations. Many reported that they have changed practices since the audit, such as repairing broken heads, adjusting the water pressure, modifying watering times, adding additional cycles so water can penetrate through the clay soils (soak and cycle concept) and even replacing heads with more water efficient models.
Photo: Colorado Master Gardener, Linda Beauvais, recording results from the audit.
Other comments people reported were saving money by reducing watering times and paying more attention to the lawn’s water need, how to have a green lawn without using as much water and knowing how to audit their irrigation system in the future. Overwhelmingly, customers reported that they better understand how their sprinkler system works and know how to operate it more efficiently.
Studies have shown that having a sprinkler audit may result in an average of 40% annual landscape water savings (Curt Swift and Ardith Blessinger, Tri-River County Extension, Colorado State University, 2007). Increases in populations, decreasing water availability and environmental impacts are all reasons why the sprinkler audit program is vital.
Contact Us
CSU Extension, Larimer County Office
1525 Blue Spruce Drive
Fort Collins, CO 80524-2004
Phone: (970) 498-6000
Fax: (970) 498-6025CMG Email: larimermg@gmail.com
CMG Staff
- Alison O'Connor, Extension Agent-Horticulture at (970) 498-6005