Precision systems gather weather and soil data to reduce water use, save money and
improve plant health. Here's a surprising fact: There are about 60 million automatic
irrigation systems across the U.S., operated by governments, real estate developers,
suburban office parks and retailers.
Most operate on timers—that is, they water the grass or plants every few days for
a set number of minutes, regardless of whether it has been raining or not. "This
current technology makes about as much sense as having a timer instead of a thermostat
in your house," says Chris Spain, the founder of a company called Hydropoint, which
offers smart irrigation systems.
Hydropoint focuses on landscaping. Its customers include eBay, Lockheed Martin,
Cisco, McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Amazon and Advanced Micro Devices. According to CEO
Spain, landscaping consumes about 58% of urban water. Landscaping is typically overwatered
by 30 to 300%. The city of Newport Beach, Ca., an early Hydropoint customer, says
it reduced landscape runoff (and associated pollution) to its popular beaches by
70%.
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