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| Submitter's Name |
John Palenchar |
| Session Name |
Poster Session: Hydrologic, Biogeochemical and Ecological Processes 1 |
| Category |
Hydrologic, biogeochemical and ecological processes |
| Poster Number |
108 |
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| Author(s) |
John Palenchar, UF, Conserve Florida Water Clearinghouse |
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James Heaney,
UF, Conserve Florida Water Clearinghouse |
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Targeting Residential Irrigation for Conservation |
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This study uses single family residential (SFR) data from Alachua County Property Appraiser, Florida Department of Revenue and the Gainesville Regional Utilities billing data to show how trends in home construction and in-ground irrigation have led to higher potable water use in study area homes built after the late 1980’s. The Alachua County Property Appraiser’s database is used to extract detailed information on irrigable area, impervious areas, pervious areas, and the presence of in-ground irrigation in the study parcels. This information is used in conjunction with a novel approach for hydrograph separation of indoor base, peak monthly and average annual irrigation from single metered monthly billing records. The result is a standardized method for calculating irrigation application rates from single-metered billing data in Florida. A k-means clustering algorithm is used to determine irrigator target groups. Monthly average and peak month irrigation water use coefficients are presented as inches of water per unit of irrigable area for three classes of users: Minimal/Offline, Mid-range, and Upper. The percentage of accounts that substitute potable water with alternative sources is estimated for the study area. Finally, the disaggregated irrigation use is then compared using property appraiser groupings denoting in-ground irrigation and year built. The result is a standardized method for utilities to determine current SFR irrigation water use, potential for savings, and an optimal strategy for implementation of irrigation BMP’s. |
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