Helping cities to make a little water go a long way, Rain Bird announced it has donated 24 cases of its Rain Bird Irrigation Supplement (RBIS) to the Tucson, Ariz. transportation department, which is testing new means of irrigation for plants in city right-of-ways. RBIS is water bound in the form of a solid gel that slowly converts back into water over a period of 30 to 90 days. RBIS delivers continuous moisture, saving time and money by increasing intervals between manual waterings and reducing the associated labor costs.
In order to help establish the new plants in a region that sees little rainfall, Tucson officials began testing a new roadway design earlier this year that would direct rainwater run-off directly on to roadside plants. Knowing that officials were seeking innovative ideas beyond simple irrigation to help establish the plants, Rain Bird requested their RBIS product be tested.
The city of Tucson was pleased to conduct a three-part trial of the RBIS to determine its effectiveness. Several RBIS are being installed with plants in two of the three planting areas. A third area is testing the roadway design that delivers water run-off to the plants and receives occasional hand-watering. The areas containing the RBIS have both native and non-native plants and will be observed for two years or until the plants are fully established.
"Rain Bird is excited to work with the city of Tucson to help it find solutions to its irrigation needs," says Kraig Wilson, associate product manager for Rain Bird. "We're confident that the RBIS will help the new plants thrive and will provide city officials with significant savings not only in its water bills but also in reducing its irrigation labor."