As communicated earlier in the summer, a board member and a volunteer (thanks Earl C.!) have been auditing and fixing the sprinkler system over the past two summers. During this time several large supply leaks have been found and fixed, well over 75 leaking sprinkler heads have been replaced, and hundreds of nozzles have been replaced to improve water efficiency. This has saved the HOA over $10,0000 in water usage and repair costs.

Currently, we have the entire system mapped. We know how many controllers there are (we have one electric controller and eight battery operated controllers), what zones they control (we have 24 zones), the location of each zone (zones are split into grass and flower beds), the run time and start time of each zone, and the number of sprinkler heads in each zone (over 500 heads overall).

This information allows 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.

With this information, the HOA has the option to plant drought tolerant, pollinator friendly, native plants around the neighborhood to add color, help the local ecosystem, and eliminate the need for wood chips. Once established, these plants require minimal watering.

With increasing water rates and sprinkler system maintenance costs, the board will also look into removing grass in areas where it struggles to grow and replace the turf with drought tolerant, pollinator friendly, native plants. Ornamentation such as large rocks, birdbaths, etc. will also be look at. If we remove grass, not only does it remove the need for extensive watering, but it qualifies us for a grant from the Hillsboro water department to pay for 50% of project costs, up to $2,500.

Below is an example of a yard converted from grass to drought tolerant, native plants. Use the slider to compare before and after photo.

Our goal is to use our water sustainably and effectively while keeping our watering budget in check in addition to adding color and native plants to our neighborhood.

We are always looking for help as a yearly audit is needed along with ongoing maintenance during the summer. Please contact the board if you are interested in helping out.

FRONT LAWNS: 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 in the summer. If we want verdant lawns, then the first four inches of the lawn will need to be tilled, removed, replaced with healthy soil, and reseeded.

INTERNET TRENCHING: If your internet provider has to trench in your area to hook up a connection to the internet, please send us an e-mail with pictures so we can note the day and time it happened. We have seen several instances where the trenching has cut through water supply lines causing major leaks. This is a major expense that the utility provider should pay for, but if we do not know about the work and we turn on the sprinkler system in the summer and there is a major leak, then we will have to pay for it to be repaired which can cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

Trenching for internet cables