Running automated sprinklers when it’s pouring rain outside is never a good idea.

Graham Duffy, CEO of ExactET, stands next to a recently installed weather station. It detects the weather then sends wireless signals to sprinklers telling them when watering is needed. (Photo by Rachel Maclean)
Not only does it waste water, but it can actually ruin lawns from over-watering.

The Town of Cochrane is looking to help businesses and residences fix that problem and have installed a new $5,000 weather station in town that tracks the local weather and sends wireless signals to sprinkler systems.

Set up by ExactET Climate Controlled Irrigation from Calgary, the station monitors the area’s wind, sun, precipitation, soil moisture and temperature — called evapo-transpiration.

“This is very much a growing trend,” said Graham Duffy, CEO of ExactET.

“Irrigation times are for the most part inefficient. It could be pouring rain and the sprinkler could still be going on.”

With the information from the weather station it tells automated sprinkler systems when to water, what time, and how much.

“It is the most efficient way to go,” said Duffy. “It makes smart controllers. Timers (on automated sprinklers) are essentially glorified clocks.”

Duffy said it is the leading edge in water conservation for irrigation, and as water becomes scarce in the future and prices for water go up he expects the industry of smart water technology to grow.

The company started with three weather stations in Calgary and have expanded to 40 all over Canada.

He said Cochrane has really jumped on board. “Cochrane is certainly being very aggressive . . . I would say they’re one of the leading municipalities.”
St. Timothy’s High School is the first to sign up to the system and have the smart sprinklers watering their new playing fields.

Prices for hooking up to the system vary from property to property, but Duffy said those who switch usually cut their water use in half and the upgrades pay for themselves within a couple of years.

“We are saving our clients basically over 40 per cent,” said Duffy.

Also, there is no need to install a new sprinkler system as the irrigation system just gets upgraded.

Rick Deans, water and wastewater manager for the town, said he is glad to see the new station come into town.

“It is more effective and efficient use of water,” he said, adding it will definitely save water for Cochrane.

For a while now, Cochrane has been running close to capacity to match demand on hot days.

Deans said while the new water plant will relieve that issue, the more conservation the better. “We are building for the future,” he said.

The ET system can also be updated so it never waters during the water restrictions in town between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

It is something Gary Wagner, Cochrane’s environmental co-ordinator, has been looking forward to.

“The town has paid for the station so residents can take advantage of the service,” he said. “I don’t think it is expensive considering how much water is saved.”

The service will be available to both residential and commercial properties.

He said while it was difficult at first to find an appropriate site with Cochrane’s varying topography, the station is now up and running and ready for people to sign on.

After contacting ExactET to sign up, they will come out to the property and look at factors such as type of soil before setting up the system and follow that up with testing.

Wagner said they hope to target commercial irrigators, who are the biggest water users in town.

To contact ExactET go to www.exactet.ca or call 403-242-6660. On their website there is also up-to-date weather information on Cochrane

For information on Smart Controllers, click here