KISSS America’s Water Efficient Product Is "Smart" For Smart Irrigation Month

Many factors play into smart irrigation including starting with an efficient irrigation system designed to alleviate some of the problems associated with water waste such as runoff, evaporation, and overwatering. That’s one of the messages behind the Irrigation Association’s Smart Irrigation Month in July and a reason why KISSS America’s revolutionary and water-efficient subsurface capillary irrigation products are the smart choice for landscape irrigation.

 

“Smart irrigation practices, whether for turf, landscape, horticulture, or even green roofs, make sense for healthy plants, but more importantly make sense financially and for the planet,” Dave Hunter, President and CEO of KISSS America, said. “KISSS products, thanks to their subsurface design and unique capillary action, put water where it’s needed most, at a plant’s roots, and eliminate the water waste seen with most above-ground systems. It’s truly smart irrigation.”

 

Irrigation accounts for 128,000 million gallons of water usage per day according to the United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) most recent report on estimated water use in the United States, calling attention to the importance of smart irrigation practices within the United States for agricultural, horticultural, turf, and landscape installations. The 2005 report also notes that, generally, irrigation application rates were greatest in the arid West and Mountain States where surface water was the predominant source of water used for irrigation, and surface (flood) application was the predominant method of irrigation.

 

First launched in 2005, Smart Irrigation Month is an Irrigation Association initiative to increase public awareness of the value of water-use efficiency. Focused on July, traditionally the month of peak demand in North America, the campaign is designed to educate users about ways to save water, encourage smart irrigation practices, help water providers minimize peak usage and reduce demand, and reinforce the role efficient irrigation plays in providing real solutions for today’s water challenges.

 

KISSS systems use significantly less water than a traditional sprinkler system with less power, fertilizer, and other chemicals resulting in better turf and plant quality. KISSS works by pulsing water through subsurface lateral irrigation lines to a geo-textile fabric which, using capillary action, disperses water into the soil directly to the root zone. The geo-textile fabric maintains moisture uniformity along its length and allows soil to absorb water as needed at a slower and more effective rate. The polyethylene backing on the fabric also mitigates the potential for water loss through downward percolation. With proper scheduling, KISSS will sustain an optimum soil water balance, eliminating the "feast or famine" soil moisture condition delivered by other systems.