SOU Sustainability Council
Why does Landscape Services water the lawns in the daytime?
From a sustainability standpoint, it would clearly be preferable to operate the campus irrigation systems only at night. Losses due to evaporation could be minimized, and the irrigation water could be utilized in a much more efficient manner. At the present time, this mode of operation is not possible for the following reasons:
1. With the current irrigation systems on campus, the number of acres of landscaped areas that must be irrigated, and the level of Landscape Services staffing, it is not possible to operate all of the irrigation systems only during the night.
2. The size of the water supply line that feeds the campus irrigation systems and the way that the Talent Irrigation District (TID) supplies our irrigation water require that irrigation take place around-the-clock during the irrigation season.
3. Events on campus and activities (such as athletics) also restrict when areas of the campus can be irrigated.
