RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY

Do you remember last April as it was the Driest April on Record with just 0.39” of rain? What a difference a year makes as this April is the Wettest April on Record with 5.37” of precipitation. To make thing more stark in comparison, April as one of the coldest Aprils on record with Record Setting Snowfall on April 11. The entire Portland Metro area had snow while upper elevations in the west hills had 4”, Vancouver, WA had 6” and Washougal had 11”. 

Yes, mowing and other landscape activities are difficult in the rain but a wet spring is not that uncommon despite our record wet April. It is actually good news for our summer as water supplies are good and fire season is far away with a wet spring. However, things could change quickly and summer is not far away and irrigation season is near. We are hastily preparing the systems we manage to be prepared for whenever things dry out.   

As we do every spring, we are in the midst of our spring irrigation system activation. Every spring we go through, clean, repair, and evaluate the irrigation systems that we manage to make sure that they are properly prepared for the coming irrigation season. It is not uncommon define did make repairs on problems that manifested late last season undetected or occurred over the winter. This is an important activity to ensure that the systems are operating at their peak ability during depending summer season.

However, as with any system, simple maintenance is not all that is needed to ensure proper operation and efficiency. Products slowly wear out and new technology and system upgrades can improve efficiency and reduce water use. In addition, as landscapes age, sometimes the best upgrade is to the landscape as opposed to just the irrigation system. Through these factors, and since water rates are the fastest rising utility, we have developed a water conservation plan that many of our customers have approved to help us provide a comprehensive evaluation of a system and make recommendations to the irrigation system and landscape to reduce water and improve the landscape. For more information click on the link here: https://www.pacscape.com/sustainability/water-conservation/water-conservation-plans.php