Irrigation CONSULTING & Design Services

Water in Motion is a full-service outdoor water management company that combines innovation and experience to create a more water-efficient world. Our award-winning team specializes in eco-friendly irrigation strategies that conserve resources and reduce clients’ costs. We are ready to bring our expertise in design, management, audits and consulting to your next project.

Feasibility & Master Planning

Before investing in design, it’s prudent to conduct a feasibility study or market study to determine if it’s even possible to achieve desired objectives. Water in Motion is often called in to be part of consulting teams when clients need to solve stormwater issues or want ideas for “going green” by utilizing the latest trends in water conservation, such as rainwater capture and reuse, grey water use, high efficiency irrigation and the like. Water in Motion is well versed in performing due diligence to understand a range of factors.

  • What are the client’s goals?
  • Can they be achieved? How?
  • What are the limitations? Opportunities? Risks? Returns?
  • What existing systems are in place?

A careful examination of these factors and more will render possible approaches and rough estimates of investments needed so clients can take the next step toward funding and engineering with confidence.

We specialize in collaborating with project teams and taking the worry out of large-scale irrigation system and outdoor water management planning and design. Our highly-certified staff is ready to assist with feasibility studies, master planning, design documents and bid evaluation.

Stormwater Management, Rainwater Harvesting and Reuse

Rain that falls on the impervious surfaces of our built environment, such as roofs, parking lots and streets, runs off these surfaces and drains to storm sewers, which eventually deposit into lakes and rivers. Pollutants such as automotive fluids, road salt, fertilizer, leaves, trash, and other forms of sediment are carried with the runoff water and can cause serious environmental, public safety and economic problems.

The rapid development of homes, roads, shopping centers, commercial buildings and more over the past century has dramatically increased the amount of impervious surface that creates runoff. When we pave fields and forest with asphalt and concrete, we eliminate surfaces where stormwater can naturally soak into the ground. By modifying urban landscapes to make sure stormwater rapidly drains away from our buildings, we create potential volume-related problems, such as pond and lake flooding, and erosion of creeks and river channels.

When less water infiltrates at the source, reduced soil moisture can cause stress to plants and decrease aquifer (groundwater) levels. Depleted groundwater levels may, in turn, reduce water levels in streams and reduce drinking water supplies. It’s important to properly manage stormwater using low impact design for new developments and retrofitting existing environments where runoff is an issue. This can include several strategies, including:

  • Retaining runoff water and releasing it slowly back into the environment (raingardens, harvest and reuse systems).
  • Capture and treat runoff to reduce pollutant loads (constructed wetlands).

Landscape Irrigation Consulting & Design

Our team offers forward-thinking, water-efficient irrigation and stormwater management design services for projects of any size. Our objective is to deliver the most effective water management solutions for each project. We have extensive experience designing solutions for commercial properties, mixed use and master-planned communities and are positioned to collaborate with you throughout the entire project, from feasibility through planning and build out.

Hilde irrigation schematicOur projects begin with a thorough study of the landscape design, client expectations, environmental considerations, audits of existing systems and more. We then develop unique solutions to the various issues posed by the site, including:

  • Low Impact Design
  • Trunk Systems that Maximize Flow Zones
  • Large-Scale Rain Water Collection
  • Pump Systems
  • Weather Technology
  • Central and Remote System Control

Construction AdministrationProject Management, Construction Administration and Development Assistance

We assist developers with services outside the realm of irrigation design that keep projects moving forward. For example, we can help obtain permits, master plan approvals and more. We gladly provide owner representation. Our construction administration services that assure our clients that irrigation plans and specifications are being properly interpreted by an irrigation system installer. Our construction administration services include:

  • Staking of Irrigation Components
  • Leadership in Project Meetings
  • Observation of Construction and Installer’s Progress

We make sure that the entire installation complies with all federal, local, and state laws and ordinances. In this way, we guarantee that the installation delivers an efficient water management system that fulfills the spirit and intent of the project. This is how we ensure that irrigation is implemented the right way for maximum efficiency and performance. Contact us about your construction administration needs.

Irrigation Remote System Control

Applied technologies include rain sensors, soil moisture sensors, smart controllers and central control programs. Used together they ensure landscape owners achieve superior water-management effectiveness and long-term savings on water costs.

Rain sensors are small units wired into an irrigation system to detect rainfall and override the scheduled watering cycle when rainfall is adequate. Moisture sensors are positioned in-ground, at root level and send daily data on soil/root moisture to a system controller to help manage watering activity. Smart controllers act as “the brain” controlling daily irrigation system operation. They receive data from local weather stations and adjust watering times/frequency based on daily weather data.

Central control programs enable Water in Motion to remotely monitor and control and report on outdoor water systems – or help third party professionals provide the service for their clients.

Remote monitoring and reporting of water usage and cost savings helps prove the return on investment of upgraded irrigation systems and rainwater harvesting/reuse systems.

Remote monitoring with automatic alerts reduce water waste and speed system repairs. For example, if a flow sensor detects unusually high water usage, it could indicate a broken line or other malfunction requiring repair. Water in Motion can remotely shut down the zone or entire system to prevent water loss and initiate a service call to investigate and repair the issue. Similarly, remote monitoring allows Water in Motion to report on water usage and cost savings, which in turn helps prove out the return on investment in upgraded irrigation systems and rainwater harvesting/reuse systems.

Audits, BMP Monitoring & Reporting

Best Management Practices (BMPs) are the procedures, protocols, structural devices and site designs that prevent or mitigate stormwater runoff. In low impact design, these are also referred to as integrated management practices. Many taxpayer-funded projects include targets for reduction of pollutants, volume of flow or other objective measurements.

Assurance that facilities are being maintained and functioning properly is a vital requirement of Low Impact Development (LID).  Few entities are prepared to conduct the work necessary.  Water in Motion is accredited to provide BMP auditing and reporting services via various program training centers, including the University of Minnesota. You can read about one BMP audit project here.

 

 

Water in Motion provides audits, monitoring and reporting services to ensure installed projects are functioning properly and provide objective measurements of success or non-compliance. Identifying where projects are underperforming allows organizations to quickly address issues and be good stewards of their investments. Please contact us about your BMP monitoring needs.

Professional Development

At Water in Motion we stay current with evolving water-efficient practices. Our team members contribute to and continually earn industry-leading credentials from each of these prominent industry organizations and programs:

In fact, our Founder and President, Timothy Malooly, was the first irrigation professional ever to receive the EPA’s WaterSense® Partner of the Year Award in 2008. He also serves on several boards and commissions and chaired the first-ever ANSI North American standard for landscape irrigation sprinkler emission devices (ICC 802-2014).

Water in Motion staff actively participates in local and national professional organizations, including the Irrigation Association, the American Society of Landscape Architecture, the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association, the US EPA WaterSense® Partners program and standard-setting organizations.

Educational Opportunities for you and your staff

Water in Motion provides training for professionals involved with outdoor water use including architects, engineers, landscape architects and government agencies. Contact us about having one of our experts present on water efficiency topics at your next industry event or to schedule Water in Motion CEU-accredited training for your team.

Contact us to discuss your irrigation design and water management needs. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, we work with clients around the globe to create a more water efficient world.