Document text
Irrigation workshop planned By Paul Fattig ASHLAND � With weather watchers warning of a drought looming on the horizon, Paul Kay says gardeners and landscapers may want to consider going underground. The irrigation consultant will offer a free workshop on subsurface drip irrigation from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the North Mountain Park Nature Center, 620 North Mountain, Ashland. Following an hour-long discussion at the center, the group will move to a nearby demonstration site at the corner of North Mountain and B Street. The workshop will include design, construction, operation and maintenance of the system. "This is something an average person can use if you�re someone who likes to take care of things," he said. "You can�t just install it and forget about it. The filters and the system need to be maintained." However, the system, which is buried either in the soil or under a thick mulch, can drastically cut the use of water needed to maintain a yard or garden, he said. Depending on the irrigation system replaced, the subsurface system can save 25 percent or more water, he said. He estimated that it costs about $1,300 to install the system on 1,000 square feet of landscaping, compared to about $1,000 for an automatic sprinkler system in the same area. "But it will pay for itself by using less water," he said. The soil or mulch will substantially reduce evaporation which plagues above-ground systems, he observed. "You can water at high noon with this system," said Kay, who has been using the system at a local orchard for three years. While the technology has been slow to catch on in the normally rain-drenched Pacific Northwest, it has been employed extensively in the Middle East and parts of the American Southwest, he said. "There are ways to use less water out there," he said. In addition to teaching the Tuesday night class, Kay is participating in an irrigation management workshop that will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Monday at the Oregon State University Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center in Central Point. The purpose of that class is to provide irrigators with management tools and techniques to increase irrigation efficiency. A $15 fee will be charged to cover the costs of workbooks and other expenses. For further information, contact Kay via e-mail at [email protected]. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.