SWAN Systems is being used by a number of schools to improve how they schedule, manage and report on water usage.
- Schools face numerous challenges when it comes to oval water management. Not only are the costs of water increasing in many areas due to rising scarcity and climate variability, but there is greater public and regulatory scrutiny when it comes to how water is consumed. Add to this the challenge of providing high quality, fit-for-purpose playing surfaces for children, and it’s no wonder that many schools are turning to technology to assist them with making precision irrigation decisions.
One school, Adelaide High School (AHS), is using SWAN Systems’ smart irrigation software to assist its groundkeepers to save water whilst reaching their desired turf quality. The only state high school in the Adelaide CBD, Adelaide High School has four ovals used for a variety of sporting and leisure activities.
SA Water, the South Australian water utility, found an average water savings of up to 30% is achievable from the use of precise irrigation management tools such as SWAN Systems.
Adelaide High School uses SWAN Systems for irrigation scheduling, with the system informing operators as to the optimal timing and quantity of water applications by processing a combination of inputs. Some of these inputs include site specific weather forecasts, plant and soil agronomic detail, and soil moisture balance estimations.
“It takes the guesswork out of optimising water use,” said Jim Dounas, Adelaide High School’s Facilities Management Leader. “The modules for water budgeting, nutrient monitoring and management and for accessing satellite imagery to provide a plant health (or “greenness”) index (NDVI) were also extremely helpful,” he said.
By using SWAN, Adelaide High School has avoided the ‘set and forget’ strategy that inevitably leads to waste. Predictive management has allowed them to manage water use and allocations whilst factoring in changing weather patterns. They have achieved meaningful water savings and increased the quality of the turf for their students.
Not only this, but SWAN’s reporting tools have allowed them to analyse and review irrigation performance remotely. The team at AHS are also excited to start using SWAN’s new daily high-resolution satellite imagery, which will give green keepers another tool to identify turf issues like broken sprinklers, disease or poor turf quality on a daily basis.
