UF student and assistant professor shining light on irrigation water waste

TAMPA, Fla. — Many homeowners work hard to keep their lawns green, but researchers say a lot of the water used to irrigate yards may never reach the grass at all.

A University of Florida graduate and an assistant professor found that much of that runoff can end up in storm drains, ponds and waterways, potentially harming the environment.

Many have all seen it before — walking down a neighborhood with sprinklers on, not just watering your lawn, but the concrete as well. Now, researchers at the University of Florida’s Gulf Coast Research and Education Center are taking a deeper dive into how to prevent this from happening.

“After we saw that, then we would want to start quantifying how much is being over sprayed,” says Dylan Barr.

He is a graduate of the University of Florida and one of the researchers behind this irrigation study.

“I had a few tests and did a few different variations of things, mostly using, like, little plastic catch cans, just to get us an idea of the volume of water that was being over sprayed,” he said.

He and assistant professor Mary Lusk worked together to measure just how much irrigation water was being wasted.

He shared pictures and videos from the research, which included collecting ove-spray samples and using drones to capture aerial images of the problem.

The team found that about 33% of the water used for irrigation never reached the lawn.

“Not only from a water quantity perspective were we concerned about that wasteful irrigation, but from that water quality,” says Lusk.

She says much of the irrigation water used in Florida is reclaimed water, which can contain excess nitrogen and phosphorus. She says when that water runs off into storm drains, ponds and waterways, it can contribute to algae blooms and worsen issues like red tide.

On average, Lusk says Floridians use about 4,000 gallons of water a week to irrigate their lawns.

As the Tampa Bay community continues to see drought-related water restrictions, she says that small changes by residents can make a big difference.

“It’s such an easy fix, to go out there and just adjust those sprinkler heads, so that they’re hitting the grass, the trees and not the streets and sidewalks,” she said.

Barr said most of the research was conducted on the east coast of Florida but that the findings can easily apply to areas like Tampa Bay as well.

He says the numbers are alarming, but he hopes that the research helps shine a light on a problem that can be fixed through awareness and smarter watering practices.

“I think reclaimed water is a great resource to start using more of here in the state of Florida, and if we can do it the right way, it can really lead us to some great development and future benefits for us,” Barr said.

Their goal is to get more people on board with making a change that will help keep your lawn green and protect the environment as well.

The research is expected to be published later this summer. Tips on how to help with water conservation can be found here.