Columbia University
OP-T2-48: Weather-Informed Irrigation

Columbia’s Morningside campus employs a timed irrigation system. The Rain Bird irrigation system was installed on Lower Campus, College Walk and Low Plaza green spaces totaling about four acres. . The Rain Bird irrigation system, which adjusts the duration and timing on a daily basis depending on the weather. Centralized computer monitoring also allows for Facilities to remotely check on the irrigation system’s performance and locate any possible breaks or leaks. Columbia's irrigation grid with its 5,004 rotor heads is controlled and monitored by what's known as a cluster control computer. The customized system enhances campus environmental efforts by conserving water and power at about 20 percent. Over watering leaches nutrients, while under watering stresses the plant, which then becomes drought intolerant CUMC uses weather sensors on the gardens that have irrigation systems to sense when it has recently rained and no supplemental domestic water is needed, maximizing the use of natural watering versus mechanical and also not flooding the beds.