Tucson Tests Roadside Revegetation
To help establish new plants in a region that sees little rainfall, the City of Tucson, AZ, began testing a new system. Earlier this year, officials in the city’s transportation department began studying several aspects of plant establishment without the installation of an irrigation system, including watering procedures and a roadway design that channels rainwater run-off directly on to roadside plants.
Crews from the City of Tucson Department of Transportation (TDOT) Streets and Traffic Maintenance Division are partnering with staff from Rainbird Corporation and DriWater for a beautification and demonstration project located on El Camino Del Cerro.
The intent of the project will be to re-vegetate the area. There are four elements that will be utilized and studied in this project: 1) a wide range of drought tolerant plants; 2) water harvesting; 3) the use of water trucks for supplemental watering; and 4) the installation of DriWater. The project will be closely monitored and evaluated for a period of two years.
Three study areas will be developed. All three areas will contain the exact same plant species. One area will not receive the DriWater supplement, the second area will receive the original DriWater supplement and the third area will receive the new formula DriWater supplement.
“As a desert community we are always seeking new ways of becoming more water efficient,” said TDOT Landscape Architect, Gary Wittwer.
Knowing that officials were seeking innovative ideas beyond simple irrigation to help establish the plants, Rain Bird requested their Rain Bird Irrigation Supplement (RBIS) product be tested. The company donated 24 cases of RBIS to the city that 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.
The city conducted 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,” said 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.”
