As the new 2017 year is upon us it’s always a good time to reflect on the past and look into the future to see where we want to go.

First looking ahead to our next article in February it will be on sprinkler design, focusing on turf grass spray-head layout zoning. Next in March we will discuss drip irrigation design. When layout design is done properly in the beginning it greatly reduces the need for service and repair down the road.

So far this winter we’ve been catching up on our precipitation water level in the mountains. The whole state of Utah has been getting above average moisture. California is also getting much more needed moisture in the central and northern Sierra Nevada mountains. I hope this keeps up they really need it.

The politicians have been scaring us with the global warming issue. My own feelings on this subject is a little different. I feel the earth will always have cooling and warming patterns. The past seven years Utah has been in a drought. California has been in a drought for 13 years. You look back in history and patterns like this are not unusual way before we even had carbon emissions. Think about the carbon emissions put out when just one volcano goes off!!! Southern Utah had been in a minor drought before 2005 when we had a lot of moisture in the mountains then came a warm front, the rivers overflowed their banks washing houses down stream with the current. Gunlock reservoir which had been almost dry filled up and was overflowing its banks, they were afraid it might break. This can happen very quickly sometimes with large storms they can resupply the reservoirs very quickly. I see mother nature in how she works in the atmosphere with wind clouds and rain acting as a huge air cleaner/filter that cleans out the air above. To think the politicians by taxing more on our emissions is going to reverse global warming, I always feel, what are they smoking? Unfortunately it seems now everything is political. I remember hearing politicians preach to us the rich get richer and the poor get poorer!!

I have a little different take on that…. “The politicians get richer and we the people have to live with the consequences”.

I try to look through the lens of common sense before I jump on any opinion.

On water management to have the most healthy landscape with less service repair or replacement of trees or bushes plus saving the vital resource of water, when the seasons cool down gradually adjust your water to water less frequent, when it warms up gradually increase it to water more frequently.
This does not necessarily mean tweaking the water runtime minutes, focus most on the watering frequency.

Reminder for the best most accurate easiest water management tool install a Smart Water Controller (SkyDrop).