The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will conduct a two-day Landscape Irrigation Auditing and Management short course April 25-26 at the Customer Service Center Building of San Antonio Water System, 2800 U.S. Highway 281 N. in San Antonio.
The course will be from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. April 25 and 8:15 a.m.-5 p.m. April 26. It is co-hosted by AgriLife Extension’s Texas A&M School of Irrigation and San Antonio Water System.
“This course is designed for Texas licensed irrigators, technicians and inspectors to get the required continuing education units to renew their licenses,” said Charles Swanson, AgriLife Extension program specialist — landscape irrigation and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality licensed irrigator, College Station. “However, other groups such as city utility or park employees can attend and benefit greatly from these classes. Even if not licensed, anyone who works with or manages landscape irrigation systems can benefit from these trainings.”
An two-day Landscape Irrigation Auditing and Management short course for irrigation professionals and others will be held April 25-26 at the SAWS offices in San Antonio. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo)
The course is approved for 16 hours continued education from the TCEQ for licensed irrigators, irrigation technicians and irrigation inspectors.
Swanson said an irrigation audit is a practice where a system is visually evaluated, analyzed for its potential to conserve water and performance in applying water. Site-specific information is collected to determine seasonal evapotranspiration or ET, based the watering schedule of the landscape.
“Students gain hands-on experience by performing two actual audits that include system evaluation, testing individual station performance, and identifying soil types and effective root depth,” Swanson said.
Course topics will include the use of ET for determining turf watering requirements, the effect of soil type and root zone depth on irrigation frequency, and calculation of irrigation system run times based on plant requirements and system performance.
The course cost is $265. Course and schedule information is available at the School of Irrigation website at http://irrigation.tamu.edu.
For registration information, contact AgriLife Extension Conference Services at 979-845-2604 or go to http://agriliferegister.tamu.edu.
Swanson said an added benefit of the course is those who complete it are eligible to take the Texas Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor Certification Exam. The exam costs $75 and will be offered at the end of class on April 26. For more information on certification, go to http://irrigation.tamu.edu.
Landscape irrigation consumes one-third to nearly one-half of a homeowner’s monthly water usage, more if an in-ground irrigation system is used, said Mark Peterson, conservation project coordinator, San Antonio Water System.
“Both homeowners and professionals alike benefit from learning proper auditing and scheduling methods,” Peterson said. “The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension School of Irrigation short course does just that. The San Antonio Water System is happy to support the School of Irrigation with these local educational opportunities.”
Registration and completion of the course includes copies of the Texas Landscape Irrigation Auditing and Management software and manual. The software is only available to students upon completion of the class and is not for sale.
Swanson said attendees should bring materials for taking notes or laptop and dress appropriately for outdoor field work, including wearing rain gear.
For more information on the program and course contents, contact Swanson at 979-845-5614.