Alan Harris

Alan Harris is a water management pioneer. With roots in landscape architecture, Alan has worked with irrigation throughout his career experimenting with hydrozones and a variety of high efficiency irrigation systems. Now, over thirty years in the landscape industry, Alan continues to stay apprised of the latest technology even in a sales leadership capacity as our Director of Sales Operations for our landscape maintenance division. In addition to his contributions to this blog, Alan keeps his hand in water management as a regular contributor to Lawn & Landscape Magazine and speaker at WaterSmart Innovations Conference.

Growing up, Alan was protected from the drought that hit his local community due to access to his family water well at which time Alan learned how water distribution can impact supply. A fervent debater, Alan enjoys playing devil’s advocate when discussing topics on water shortages. He gardens and plays tennis in his spare time when he’s not participating in ASLA (American Society of Landscape Architects) or CAI (Community Associations Institute) functions. At home, Alan collects rain to water his garden. Alan on Google+

  • Save Power Save Water Save Money
    09.02.14

    Want to Start Saving Power, Water and Money?

    Do you like gadgets that help save power, water and save money? My love of gadgets, saving money, reducing waste along with the love of my Nest was well established in the previous post, Energy Conservation: One Great Way to Save Money. Other posts previously illustrated how water and energy are intertwined like night and day, so energy conservation indirectly results in water conservation. The post featuring Nest reviewed the early energy savings results in the first 4 months of... MORE >

  • Labor Day 2014
    08.28.14

    Labor Day 2014 in the World of Water Management

        To the Irrigation Technicians, Irrigation Supervisors, Irrigation Manufacturers and all the people who do the work in the field to help ensure we only use the water we need…Thank You! May you have a safe and restful Labor Day weekend. Sourcing informative, interesting, relevant information about irrigation and water management is a challenging task, but pales in comparison to the hard work that takes place in the field. These men and women work hard each week and truly... MORE >

  • Drought Response
    08.19.14

    Drought Response: California vs. Texas

    Both the drought in California and the drought in Texas are severe and have been going on for several years. Check out the animation at the end of this post to see how the drought has changed just in 2014. California Drought Response California’s response to the drought has been anemic, very late in coming and somewhat ineffective. Governor Brown made a passionate plea to curb water use 20% in January 2014 and called upon the public yet again in April... MORE >

  • Alliance of Water Management Avengers
    08.05.14

    Irrigation Man Debuts at Comic-Con

    Did you see Irrigation Man at Comic-Con last week? His debut was rumored to be strategically aligned with the release of Guardians of the Galaxy. Sources close to Irrigation Man say talks are underway for a movie, but plot development is still in the early stages. Here is some of what we have learned thus far. Irrigation Man Plot Development In addition to the ability to fly, Irrigation Man will be able repel water with his breath and change irrigation nozzles... MORE >

  • Smart Irrigation Month Coloring Book Cover
    07.15.14

    Is Smart Irrigation Really the Smart Choice

    July is the Irrigation Association’s Smart Irrigation Month. This year the Irrigation Association used a Thunderclap campaign to promote Smart Irrigation Month. Since this was the first year they had a modest goal, which was exceeded by 36%. As a result of the campaign at noon on July 7th the campaign reached over 130,000 people via Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. Being a good water conservationist I promoted the Thunderclap in the Alliance for Water Efficiency group on LinkedIn. The comments... MORE >

  • Stains in the Parking Lot from Overwatering
    07.01.14

    Do You Have Any of These 3 Signs of Overwatering

    Is your irrigation system overwatering the landscape? You don’t have to be a landscape professional to see the horrendous tell-tale signs of overwatering. In a previous post Richard shared the signs plants display when they are overwatered. Here are 3 signs of overwatering not related to plant health. Overwatering Sign #1 – Parking Lot Stains The first picture shows repeated and multiple stains on the parking lot surface.  When irrigation water starts to run over the curb it is a... MORE >

  • Green Infrastructure Queens NYC Chris Hamby
    06.17.14

    Green Infrastructure Helps Manage Water

    As municipalities, commercial developers and private landowners increasingly turn to green infrastructure to manage water at the site and regional level, plants and managed landscapes are taking a leading role. Parks, urban forests, green roofs, rain gardens, constructed wetlands, permeable pavement, cisterns…these are the new roots of urban resilience. North Carolina’s Green Industry Council will spotlight the benefits of green infrastructure during their 4th Annual Water Symposium, scheduled for July 24 at the Jane S. McKimmon Center on the campus of... MORE >

  • Alluvial Pattern
    06.03.14

    8 Ways to Detect an Irrigation Leak

    Irrigation systems usually run when most people are asleep so how can you tell if you have an irrigation leak? UF/IFAS Miami U.C.U. (Urban Conservation Unit) reminded me there is a “fine line between poor drainage, over irrigation & irrigation leaks.” However, since none of these are desirable, you need to investigate further if you see any of the geological signs below on your property. Old Faithful Unless you are drilling a well, water shooting up in the air is... MORE >

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