Entrepreneurs prefer to carry out their business without the burden of the government’s input in their affairs. Complying with restrictions and regulations can be costly, time-consuming and mind-numbing in its complexity. The National Federation of Independent Business estimates businesses with fewer than 20 employees face regulatory costs of almost $7,000 per employee per year. And that’s only counting federal regulations. However, such regulations may prove to benefit an industry as a whole – especially when they promote basic levels of education and competence.
Though irrigation contractors certainly have a lot on their minds considering labor challenges and rising fuel, copper wire and insurance costs, it’s irresponsible to ignore their duty as stakeholders in the future of the water supply. That duty comes in many forms, including complying with water use restrictions, providing input for the development of these types of ordinances and seeking continuing education.
Only six states have irrigation contractor licensing requirements, according to the Irrigation Association (IA). Many local governments require contractors to obtain licenses, but many of these only entail paying a fee and do not ensure contractors are experienced, trained or certified. In addition, there are less than 600 Certified Irrigation Contractors, Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditors and Certified Irrigation Designers in a country of more than 40,000 irrigation contracting companies, the IA says.
“It’s a Wild-West free for all out there,” says Smith, the IA’s state and affiliate relations director. As part of the IA’s state government relations strategy, Smith and his team help states craft model language to create a formal way to assess irrigation professionals’ competency levels. Smith recently worked with the Irrigation Association of New England and green industry allies to submit irrigation contractor certification legislation in Massachusetts. “We don’t want to restrict access, but we feel strongly that an industry servant needs to demonstrate a specific level of competence – that may include certification, licensure or registration.”
While many irrigators are water conservationists at heart and promote smart water use as a rule, the industry remains one with a low barrier to entry that’s unregulated in many areas of the country. Ideally, the industry should police itself and regulation wouldn’t be necessary. But that’s not the case, some of the most vocal critics of landscape irrigation say.
“When there is constant overspray and runoff from landscapes, it shows the industry is not policing themselves and is excessive and careless in their water use,” says water-conservation consultant Amy Vickers, author of “Handbook of Water Use and Conservation.” Vickers, a well-known critic of outdoor water use, addressed the irrigation industry directly at Ewing Irrigation’s quarterly meeting in May. If waste continues, the industry should expect the government to step in to regulate water use, she says.
Locally, water management districts and municipalities have been enacting water use restrictions for decades. In fact, 48 percent of contractors have seen an increase in landscape watering restrictions over the last two years, according to a Lawn & Landscape study.
Vickers promotes many of these restrictions, including limiting the number of watering days per week, reducing turf square footages, promoting xeriscaping and others. The IA’s Smith says there’s a fine line between ordinances that are good for the industry and water conservation in general and those that are fundamentally poor policy. For example, some measures may actually backfire and prompt over-consumption, some penalize water users who are already doing a good job conserving and other restrictions are based on assumptions or arbitrary figures and don’t even measure water use in the first place. “If we’re not auditing irrigation systems and determining their efficacy, how can we be sure we’re using water efficiently?” Smith says. “And if we’re not even measuring the water specifically applied to the landscape, it’s difficult to determine if we’re doing a good job or not.”
Education, however, is one thing Smith, Vickers and other professionals agree is the key opportunity for the industry as the demand on water supply worsens.
In addition to becoming educated themselves, contractors need to educate their customers, local utility commissions and city councils about what efficient irrigation is and how specific restrictions would affect the water supply and their businesses. “Unless the stakeholder gets involved – and obviously the irrigation contractor is a stakeholder in this – then they’re doomed to get something less than satisfactory,” Smith says.
While the IA and local trade groups try to stay tuned in to policy and provide model legislation and resources, it’s impossible for them to be engaged everywhere or provide across-the-board recommendations due to the varying needs of different regions, Smith says. “It’s difficult for us to say what’s reasonable and what isn’t without being further acquainted with the specifics of the locale.”
National and regional organizations look to their contractor members to take on leadership roles locally, proactively engaging water purveys and municipalities, and to become a point of contact in determining how equitable proposed ordinances are. “There’s no substitute for having local involvement,” Smith says. (For tips on how to get involved locally, see “Be Part of the Process,” above.)
MAKING SENSE OF WATERSENSE. Say “energy efficiency” and many consumers will the logo of the Energy Star program, which has become ingrained in our minds over the last fifteen years as that campaign has matured. The logo appears everywhere – on computer monitors, heating and cooling units, home electronics and other appliances.
Omnipresence and awareness like this are what the EPA hopes to achieve with WaterSense. In June 2006 the EPA introduced its water-conservation campaign, aimed at decreasing water use through high-efficiency products and programs and creating a labeling initiative that helps customers differentiate between products and services in the marketplace. It issued the WaterSense label to the Irrigation Association’s Certified Irrigation Designer program, Certified Irrigation Contractor, Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor and Certified Golf Irrigation Auditor designations this year and began reviewing controller specifications in April.
Hopefully, WaterSense will achieve the steady success that Energy Star has – in terms of both visibility and measurable results. With WaterSense, the agency plans to examine success based on estimated gallons of water saved by individuals and organizations purchasing water-efficient products and savings that result from promoting the use of certified irrigation professionals. After less than a year since its debut, 63 percent of irrigation contractors say they’re encouraged by the program, indicating they think it will be effective in promoting the benefits of irrigation systems to consumers, Lawn & Landscape research shows. On the other hand, nearly a quarter of contractors say they have never heard of WaterSense.
It’s too early to tell what WaterSense’s impact might be, but many industry members have their own predictions.
John Newlin, owner of Quality Sprinkling Systems in the Cleveland area, believes it may be the beginning of widespread certification requirements. “It’s just a matter of time,” says the certified irrigation contractor and auditor – one of the first WaterSense partners in his area.
The IA’s Smith is pleased with the attention WaterSense is bringing to the issue of water use in the landscape.
John Ossa, president of Gardeners’ Guild in San Rafael, Calif., also says the awareness it’s creating is a boost for the water-conservation cause. “As a small business owner, I never thought I’d be saying I’m welcoming the federal government’s involvement in commerce, but there is a greater good.”