Best Practices & Standards

Turf & Landscape Irrigation Best Management Practices

The Irrigation Association developed turf and landscape best management practices to provide stakeholders with tools to understand, implement and manage irrigation systems. BMPs include:

  • Assure overall quality of the irrigation system.
  • Design the irrigation system for efficient and uniform water distribution.
  • Install the irrigation system to meet design criteria.
  • Maintain the irrigation system for optimum performance. 
  • Manage the irrigation system to respond to changing water requirements.
     

Irrigation System Maintainence

Irrigation systems should be regularly serviced to maintain performance, and efficient and uniform water distribution. Components should meet the design specifications, manufacturers’ specifications, and state and local code requirements. Maintenance should be performed by a contractor or other specialist who is licensed and/or certified, where applicable, and insured.

 

Practice Guideline Summary

(Download the complete Turf & Landscape Irrigation Best Management Practices.)

 

This guideline was created to facilitate development of specifications that address local landscape needs while protecting water supplies. Policymakers and other stakeholders should adopt only those guidelines that apply to local needs.

 

To ensure the irrigation system continues to efficiently and uniformly distribute water, and conserve and protect water resources, the maintenance contractor, owner, manager or irrigation contractor should:

  1. Establish a periodic maintenance schedule to inspect and report performance conditions to the system owner. Document any deviations from the original design and create a station/zone map for easier inspection and controller programming.

     
  2. Periodically review the backflow prevention device, pressure regulators, filters, controller, sensors, valves, sprinkler heads and other system components to verify they meet original design criteria for efficient operation and uniform water distribution. Repair or replace broken elements as needed and test all repairs.

     
  3. Ensure that replacement hardware used for system repairs matches the existing hardware, and is in accordance with the design.

     
  4. As plant material matures, trim or remove vegetation and add sprinklers or other hardware where necessary to preserve system performance and compensate for changes in the landscape’s irrigation needs. Ensure that system modifications are in keeping with design specifications and do not cause water demand to exceed the system’s hydraulic capacity.

     
  5. Where required, establish a “winterization” protocol and a process for system activation in the spring.