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

The Grounds Department at Purdue has been keeping up with irrigation technology since the 1950s to more efficiently and effectively keep campus plant materials and turf attractive and healthy. Since the 1970s, the Grounds department has integrated control timers with the irrigation systems for better control. Since the early 2000s, smart timers, soil probes, and rain gauges have been used for even more precision and conservation. The department is responsible for over 1.9 million square feet of turf and over 680,000 square feet of shrub and flowerbeds. The irrigation systems on campus contain 67 control units, over 600 in-ground control valves, and more than 10,000 irrigation heads. The Grounds Department recently installed a new centralized irrigation control system that allows the control units to be set remotely and to incorporate weather data to help determine how much water is required. The system includes a weather station that automatically adjusts the irrigation based upon the weather. Projections indicate the system will save countless labor hours and 18 million gallons of water annually.