Certified Irrigation Auditor
In recent years urban water demand throughout Florida has increased dramatically. Many municipalities are now restricting irrigation practices in an effort to conserve a decreasing supply of water. Urban irrigation evaluations provide information necessary to develop a water conservation plan on a site by site basis.
This course is designed to teach basic irrigation principles and methods of evaluating the efficiency and operating condition of residential and commercial irrigation systems. The trained Irrigation Auditor will inspect irrigation systems for proper functioning and efficiency, determine an appropriate irrigation schedule, and recommend system improvements where necessary.
The provided text is divided into three general areas: 1) irrigation concepts and principles, 2) methods of conducting an evaluation, and 3) methods for determining plant water requirements. What about report writing? At the end of each section is a series of problems or questions designed to test the students knowledge on the material presented. Worksheets, evaluation forms and sample reports are provided in the appendix. Some common system components from various manufacturers are discussed in the text. This is presented as an aid to the student and does not imply an endorsement of any particular manufacturer.
The Certified Irrigation Auditor Course is approved for 14 General CEU's for Lake, Pinellas and Volusia Counties for irrigation contractor licensing renewal, and is approved for 14 General CEU's through the Board of Landscape Architecture. |
Day 1
Course Outline/Topics:
1. Introduction:
- Understanding the role of the irrigation auditor
- Understanding the levels of audit and audit reports
2. Understanding system components:
- Identifying various irrigation system types
- Explaining the process of time clock selection
- Explaining the process of valve selection
- Explaining the process of sprinkler head selection
- Explaining the process of low-voltage wire selection
3. Understanding sprinkler performance:
- Diagnosing sprinkler distribution problems
- Measuring and analyzing precipitation rates
- Identifying unique site conditions that might affect performance
4. Understanding control systems:
- Developing watering schedules and setting control timers
- Determining the watering time needed per week per station
- Explaining the role of soil in determining run times including infiltration rate
- Explaining the role of sprinkler spacing and the importance of using match precipitation rate nozzles
- Explaining the role of root depth in determining run times
5. Gathering Site Information:
- Determining the type of landscaping and water requirement for a specific site
- Identifying environmental traits such as soil type and weather for a specific site
- Identifying unique site conditions that might affect design or installation
- Identifying possible water sources and selecting appropriate source
- Conducting a simulated audit including, visual inspection, pressure and flow inspection, and a catch can test
6. Putting it all together:
- Report writing basics
- Understanding the engineering formulas
- Exercises – Using the engineering formulas
Day 2
7. Reviewing Home Work:
- Review sample problems handed out at the end of the first day
8. Actual audit – Conduct an audit using various methods:
- Visual inspection
- Pressure and flow tests
- Catch can test
9. Reviewing material:
- Utilize formulas to analyze information gathered from sample audit
- Review ways this information would have been utilized in reports
10. Written examination
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