As reported on Environmental Leader
Walmart stores equipped with WeatherTRAK smart irrigation controllers have reduced outdoor water use an average of 39 percent since they were installed in 2008, the companies have announced.
HydroPoint Data Systems supplied 631 of its WeatherTRAK controllers at select Walmart stores. The systems, which are designed to eliminate landscape water waste, harmful run-off and costly hardscape damage, were added during new store construction and as retrofit projects.
The controllers use an online tool that gives Walmart remote access to the system, and provides water use data for property managers, landscape contractors and company executives.
Walmart has launched several efforts to cut water consumption at its stores in recent years. Walmart China, for instance, has reduced water use by 54.2 percent since 2005 through sensor faucets, pressure-reducing valves and wastewater reclaim systems, according to the company’s 2011 sustainability report.
Petaluma, Calif.,-based HydroPoint Data Systems has also just announced the release of three WeatherTRAK smart irrigation and central control products, including a mobile app that will be available in June 2012. WeatherTRAK Mobile gives users real-time alerts and the ability to control the irrigation system remotely, technology that aims to reduce the need for on-site troubleshooting and diagnostics.
The company also announced WeatherTRAK LC Central, a plug-and-play system equipped with two-way wireless communication. The system is designed for light commercial and high-end residential installations, including business parks, city medians and small retail centers.
HydroPoint also released WeatherTRAK WirelessFlow, a wireless sensing product that monitors and alerts property managers to leaks, station-based flow management and catastrophic mainline breaks without the high cost of hardscape trenching.