Learn about the primary causes of dry-weather run-off in urban areas, how to diagnose them at your house, and how to fix them. We can all do our part to prevent run-off!

1. Run-off
Prevention
What is it? How do we stop it?

2. Helping homeowners and small businesses
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What is WaterWiseNow?
We help homeowners and
small businesses use less
water in the landscape.
● Pro-grade irrigation equipment
● Free How-to content
● Free customer support and
professional advice for ordering and
installation

3. Helping homeowners and small businesses
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Systems Require Maintenance
Air filters in your house?
Oil changed in your car?
When was the last time you turned on your
irrigation system to see how it’s performing?

4. Run-off Happens
When we don’t inspect our irrigation systems

5. Helping homeowners and small businesses
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What is run-off?

6. Why are we talking about run-off?
WASTE
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● It’s an easily preventable nuisance
● It pollutes our waterways
● It degrades our road quality

7. Run-off Cause #1
Low Head Drainage

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What is Low Head Drainage?

9. Helping homeowners and small businesses
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What is Low Head Drainage?

10. How to Identify Low Head Drainage
1. Turn on your sprinklers
2. Listen for air spitting or
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popping sounds
3. Run for 30 seconds
4. Turn off your sprinklers
5. Look for water running
out of one or more
sprinklers and onto the
curb or sidewalk

11. Got LHD? Easy and cheap to fix!
Switch out your sprinklers
with ones that have a
check-valve built in.
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Best Choices:
● Rain Bird 1800 SAM ($3-12)
● Hunter Pro Spray CV ($4-15)
● Toro 570Z Spray with Check
Valve ($6-18)

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Demonstration
1. Unscrew the top of the new sprinkler
2. Unscrew the top of the old sprinkler
3. Remove the nozzle from
the old sprinkler
4. Put the new “guts” into the
old sprinkler body
5. Screw the old nozzle into the
new sprinkler “guts”
6. Don’t over tighten!

13. Low Head Drainage Recap
1. Happens on every valve at the lowest point
2. Causes run-off on street-facing valve
3. One or more sprinklers may be causing it
4. Get a helper to diagnose
5. As cheap as $3 per affected sprinkler to fix
Download the Run-off Inspection Worksheet
http://WaterWiseNow.com/RunOffWorksheet
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14. Run-off Cause #2
Overspray

15. Helping homeowners and small businesses
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Overspray
Common causes
Misaligned sprinkler
nozzles
Sprinkler nozzles that
are the wrong size for
the area they’re watering
Dirty sprinkler nozzles
Wind

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Overspray Fix - Wind Sensor
Wind causes run-off, too,
and it’s windy here!
Wind sensor shuts off
irrigation system when it’s
too windy, turns it back on
when the wind quiets down

17. Helping homeowners and small businesses
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Overspray Fixes - Nozzles
1. Adjust your nozzles
2. Clean your nozzles
http://bit.ly/CleanNozzles
a. Clean the Filter/ Flush the sprinklers
b. Disassemble the sprinkler / Flush the spray body
c. Reassemble the sprinkler
d. Test and re-adjust alignment
3. Replace your nozzles - time to upgrade?

18. Run-off Cause #3
Overwatering

19. Smart controllers adjust your watering schedule every day, accounting for rain,
humidity, wind, and sometimes soil moisture, soil type, plant density, and
shade.

20. Helping homeowners and small businesses
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Causes of Overwatering
#1 Cause of
Overwatering:
The Controller
Smart Controllers
save up to 30% of
water use
CVWD Smart
Controller Program

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Causes of Overwatering
#2: Watering faster than
the soil can absorb it
Problem areas:
Clay soils, slopes, and
mature thatched grass
High-efficiency rotary
nozzles reduce water
use from sprinklers by
30%

22. Helping homeowners and small businesses
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High-Efficiency Nozzles
CVWD Rotary Nozzle
Rebate Program
Best Choice:
Hunter MP Rotators
Other Choices:
● Rain Bird Rotary Nozzles
● Toro Precision Nozzles
● K-Rain Rotary Nozzles

23. Helping homeowners and small businesses
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High-Efficiency Nozzle Notes
● Require regulated pressure
Optimal pressure is 40 psi;
Average pressure in CV is 55 psi
● Pressure regulation options:
Main line, valves, spray bodies
● You will need to extend your
watering time for these nozzles

25. Ordering, Installing & Adjusting
● Measure for head-to-head
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coverage
● Determine existing
sprinkler brands
● Eliminate extra heads if
possible
● You may need a special
tool to adjust the nozzles

26. Helping homeowners and small businesses
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Demonstration
1. For each sprinkler
a. Pull up on the sprinkler riser
b. Unscrew the old nozzle
c. Screw in the new nozzle
d. Release the riser
2. Manually turn on the
irrigation
3. Adjust the spray pattern
and radius for each new
nozzle

27. Summary of Run-off Prevention
Causes:
Low head drainage, overspray, overwatering
Cures:
Check-valve sprinklers, high-efficiency nozzles,
smart controllers
To learn more…
Get our free eBook:
WaterWiseNow.com/RunOff
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28. Download this presentation at
http://bit.ly/CVRunOffPresentation
Our Run-off Prevention eBook
http://bit.ly/WWNRunOff
Q&A
Have questions?
Please call Jessyca at 760-777-4175
or Email support@waterwisenow.com