As many of you know, the sprinkler system was turned on in late May. You may have noticed that only certain sections are currently running. This is intentional. Several sprinkler zones cannot be activated because tree roots have grown around sprinkler heads causing major leaks. Cutting the roots is time‑consuming and must be done methodically to avoid damaging the system.
Over the past year, a board member has already replaced 30 sprinkler bodies and 106 nozzles to reduce leaks and improve water accuracy and efficiency. Over a dozen of these components were failing so badly that they were gushing water. Many more still need attention. If the HOA hired our landscaping company to replace every broken head and nozzle, the cost would easily reach several thousand dollars.
At the same time, the board member is conducting a full audit of the irrigation system. This includes documenting:
- The number of sprinkler heads in each zone
- The number of sprinkler heads turned off in each zone
- The location of each zone
- Which controller operates each zone
- When each zone runs and for how long
- Additional details needed for long‑term maintenance
This information will allow the HOA to quickly isolate and repair zones with broken heads while keeping other zones operational. It will also help us water new (and old) plants efficiently in the future, protecting any landscaping investments the community makes. For instance, grass needs more water than established plants such as trees and bushes and this information will help us target our water efficiently.
We have a $10,000 budget for watering our property during the summer. We anticipate these fixes and improvements can keep our plants healthy and thriving, but it takes a significant amount of time and work.
If you would like to help with this project, please email the board. Work typically occurs on Mondays and/or Tuesdays.
Why this project now?
The irrigation system is over 20 years old and needs significant maintenance. With increasing water prices and a limited budget, it is imperative to have an optimized irrigation system. The reserves study estimates repairs to the system would cost $72,029 in 2027. With other projects such as gutters and fascia painting needed, whole scale irrigation renovation is not within the budget.
Goals for the project
- Replace leaking or broken sprinkler bodies
- Replace leaking or broken sprinkler nozzles
- Accurately aim all sprinkler nozzles to grass or shrubs
- Turn off all sprinkler nozzles that are not watering grass or shrubs
- Water all grass zones 5 minutes every three days
- Water some flower beds 2 minutes every four days
- Audit the entire system (see information above)
NOTE: A quick note about the front lawns of homes. The soil in the front lawns of most of the homes is poor. Just inches underneath the soil are rocks and various construction material left over from the builder. As a result, without constant watering the grass will brown and go into hibernation as the sun heats up the rocks.
In the future, the board would like to explore removing several inches of the rocky soil and replace it with healthy soil and reseed. In other areas we would transition to drought tolerant, pollinator friendly, native plants. Here are some examples. Once established, these plants require minimal watering. In addition, by removing grass the Hillsboro Water department will pay for 50% of project costs, up to $2,500 of approved plans.
