Device helps users decrease irrigation

Drought conditions during the past few years have left many trying to find ways to help conserve water.

"In the last four years, it's been painfully obvious how much we need to conserve water," Conserve Texas Water owner Tom Catlin said.

In early 2012, after conversations with one of the creators of the Irrigation Decision Device, an irrigation water suppression tool, Catlin decided to create Conserve Texas Water to sell the mechanism.

"This is unique," Catlin said. "It's something that makes sense."

The IDD connects to existing irrigation systems and keeps the system from watering the lawn when it is not needed, he said.

Manufactured in Austin, the IDD is recognized by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and it can work with any residential or commercial sprinkler system, Catlin said.

The IDD uses two different forecasting models—meteorological and hydrological—to produce data at least four times a day that is specific to a customer's address, Catlin said. Once the data is processed, a signal is sent to the irrigation system that tells it whether it should be activated, he said.

The company serves customers in the greater metropolitan areas of Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.

Catlin has been focused on promoting the device and its ability to help users lower water bills and reduce water usage for irrigation.

Although it got off to a slow start, he said, his business has slowly increased.

"To me it doesn't make any difference whether you're environmental or financially driven or if you're both because this answers both," Catlin said. "Here's this device that is $350 that you put on your system and pays for itself."

Catlin said he hopes his customer base will include homeowners, business owners, homeowners associations and municipalities.

A Georgetown native, Catlin said he has often seen sprinklers run at odd hours and during rain storms. The IDD is designed to keep automated sprinkler systems from running during those times they are least effective.

The device also prevents an irrigation system from causing water runoff from an over-saturated lawn, and it would keep it from watering a lawn when it is too windy or too cold, he said.

Water use forecasting

The Irrigation Decision Device sold by Conserve Texas Water uses two forecasting models—hydrological and meteorological—to determine if a lawn needs to be watered.

The hydrological model uses point elevation, slope, runoff, evapotranspiration, percolation rate and many other variables to forecast soil moisture.

The meteorological model looks at variables including current, recent and predicted precipitation type and amount; humidity, wind speed; temperature; and cloud cover.

Source: Conserve Texas Water

Water conservation key for irrigation device creator

The idea for the Irrigation Decision Device came to Carlos Repelli more than a decade ago, he said, and after being reunited with former college roommate Rodrigo Zerlotti, the development of it was a collaborative effort.

The duo created the IDD, an irrigation water suppression device, which is sold by Conserve Texas Water and manufactured in Austin.

"I developed most of the meteorological part," Repelli said. "[Zerlotti] was the one who worked on the software."

After working for a few years on the technology, the IDD went through about five years of testing, Repelli said.

The two applied for a patent in 2005, and it was issued in 2009, he said.

How much money the device saves users on irrigation costs varies based on location and time of the year, Repelli said, but by conservative estimates, the device can save irrigation system owners at least 25 percent on water bills.

Repelli, who has his bachelor's degree in physics, received his master's degree in meteorology from Brazil's Institute for Space Research.

He said he worked as a scientist for several years before attending Columbia University, where he received a doctorate degree in oceanography.

Conservation device

The Irrigation Decision Device offered by Conserve Texas Water connects to an existing sprinkler system and works to conserve water and save money by suppressing water when a lawn does not need it.

Tom Catlin started Conserve Texas Water in early 2012 after meeting with one of the creators of the IDD, he said.

Catlin said he serves customers, which he hopes will include homeowners, businesses, homeowners associations and municipalities, in the Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio areas.

512-592-2929, www.conservetexaswater.com, [email protected]