Open AccessUNDERSTANDING THE PERFORMANCE OF IRRIGATION SYSTEMS AROUND HOMES
Author(s) -
Basant Maheshwari
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of environmental engineering and landscape management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.514
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 1822-4199
pISSN - 1648-6897
DOI - 10.3846/16486897.2016.1176575
Subject(s) - lawn , irrigation , metropolitan area , environmental science , irrigation management , water resource management , water conservation , drip irrigation , hydrology (agriculture) , geography , engineering , ecology , geotechnical engineering , archaeology , biology
This study examines factors that affect the efficiency of outdoor home irrigation in the Sydney Metropolitan Area (SMA). The irrigation systems of 50 home sites were monitored, over a five-month period for flow rate, start time, duration and irrigation date. The monitoring was for quantification of the water use for lawn, garden and other garden areas, understanding of the issues and factors that affect the performance of irrigation. Results show that hand watering was the most common method, accounting for 35% of the areas irrigated by homeowners. Both portable sprinklers and microjets accounted for 20% and fixed sprinklers and drip irrigation accounting for 11% and 8% respectively. The study has implications for developing suitable urban water management strategies, and significant opportunities exist for water conservation through appropriately designed educational programs and the installation of improved irrigation systems, especially for the areas that are smaller or used for home gardens.