As you might expect, the conversations around the office here are often peppered with our personal experiences with technology, whether it’s found in the palm of our hand, in our doctor’s office, or right in our own backyard.

Case in point: Have you checked out today’s sprinkler systems?

I know…how excited can one really get over residential irrigation, right? Sure, it’s not the most glamorous thing, but that’s the beauty of solid, sensible technology – it never ceases to surprise and amaze us.

From Waterfall to Windfall

A few months ago, my wife and I received a letter from the City of Newport Beach, in which the City offered to upgrade our sprinkler system as part of a city-wide program aimed at conserving water and reducing runoff, which contributes to ocean pollution. To our astonishment, the city offered to upgrade our system – which was only two years old and appeared to be working just fine – with new water-saving sprinkler heads and a “smart” wireless-driven control unit – for FREE!

Now, I wouldn’t consider myself an environmentalist but I do try to do my small part to keep the beach and ocean clean.

Soon after we confirmed that we were on board, the City’s partner company sent a team to our home to install the system, which was, in this humble homeowner’s opinion, pretty cool. Designed by Irritrol, the system included a network of sprinkler heads that optimized water distribution while minimizing leakage, as well as a wireless-enabled control unit that employs sensors to gauge weather conditions and, in turn, modify the watering schedule accordingly.

In other words, if it was cloudy or raining, the sprinklers would take a breather from their normal schedule. If it was hot and dry, the system would increase the frequency of watering cycles and even run “pre-watering” cycles to ensure maximum soil water absorption during full cycles.

The installation took only a few hours, and before we knew it we were up and running. Or, in this case, “up and watering.”

This system appeared to be doing a decent job the first few weeks. Then our next water bill arrived in the mail. As it turned out, the system had been doing a FANTASTIC job. To our utter amazement, our water usage had fallen by nearly 50 percent since the new system was installed. I’m certain that none of us were taking shorter showers or forcing the dog and cat to share a water dish, so the new sprinkler system was clearly the hero.

Our Newfound Water Wisdom

Seeing such a tremendous drop in our water usage was a wonderful change, but it was also quite eye-opening. On one hand, we all have a much greater appreciation for how much water we use on a daily basis and how quickly it can add up. On the other, we now know that, with simple household changes made possible by well-thought yet relatively simple technologies, we can make a small difference in the fight to conserve water, minimize runoff and maintain clean beaches and a clean ocean.

Once again, this is just another example of technology doing what it does best – making our world a better place, often in ways we’d never imagine.