Drip irrigation in New Jersey

I found this article about cities wanting to use trickle (drip) irrigation.

It's worked for area farmers and now town officials hope trickle irrigation will do the trick in solving the town's continuing wastewater disposal woes

Who says farmers don't know what they're doing. When you have to make a living at conserving water, you become quite the expert.

Was this the begining of modern irrigation?

Found a neat item at the Historical Marker Database

Modern Irrigation Marker

“Encamped near the bank of a beautiful creek of pure, cold water. •• In
about two hours after our arrival we began to plow, and the same
afternoon built a dam to irrigate the soil.”

Little bit of history

Florida Tree Farms Turn To Drip Irrigation

As the east coast continues to suffer through their 50 year drought, more stories like this one pop up For Florida nurseries, profits are drying up

...owner of the 25-acre Insight Tree Farms in Charlotte Harbor, is switching to a drip irrigation system to conserve water. During the drought, his electric bills have doubled and his sales have dropped...

The average person would not equate Florida with drought, one would believe they had plenty of rainfall and water to meet all of their needs. Yet, missing leadership in water use efficiency, shorter than expected rainfall, legal battles between municipalities and a hot hot housing market leading to borderline over development are all factors that lead to greenhouse, nursery and agriculture industries being hurt.

Florida estimates that the drought is costing them around $100 million per month. If that were re-invested into drip irrigation monthly, their 10 billion per year industry could cut that loss considerably.

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Lots of folks see it, but why down towards the bottom

Nice tips on building "green" here..

Neighborhoods Partnership Network » Low Cost Green Building Strategies

but all the way at number 11

11. DESIGN WATER-EFFICIENT LANDSCAPES

Description: Low-water landscape designs (such as xeriscape) reduce water use by emphasizing native and/or drought tolerant plants, eliminating turf areas, and minimizing maintenance. Efficient irrigation systems, such as drip and micro irrigation, place the correct amount of water directly at the base of each plant, thus reducing water use and waste from over watering.

Benefits:Water efficient landscape and irrigation systems help plant growth and overall health by eliminating overwatering or excessive drying.They also lower water bills and reduce impacts on water supply infrastructure.

Call me biased, I think we should start moving water conservation tips more towards the top of our priorities. :) In any case, I appreciate them adding water conservation and drip irrigation in their write up.