Blow out your sprinklers before winter weather busts them  KETV Omaha

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Blow out your sprinklers before winter weather busts them - KETV Omaha

My Allowed Watering Days and Hours  City of Tampa

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My Allowed Watering Days and Hours - City of Tampa

Police say 'suspicious' explosion at Utah apartment injured 2 people and displaced 90 families  The Caledonian-Record

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Police say 'suspicious' explosion at Utah apartment injured 2 people and displaced 90 families - The Caledonian-Record

1,700 fire safety violations: Wake County schools cited for failing to inspect fire alarms, sprinklers  WRAL News

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1,700 fire safety violations: Wake County schools cited for failing to inspect fire alarms, sprinklers - WRAL News

Are Automatic Houseplant Watering Systems Worth it? I Tested 2 to Find Out  CNET

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Are Automatic Houseplant Watering Systems Worth it? I Tested 2 to Find Out - CNET

The Bookshelf: Fire sprinkler system being added at the Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library  Daily Citizen

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The Bookshelf: Fire sprinkler system being added at the Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library - Daily Citizen

The duiker of the Inhulets irrigation system destroyed by the Russians was restored in the Kherson region  

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The duiker of the Inhulets irrigation system destroyed by the Russians was restored in the Kherson region -

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Sprinklers that spray water high into the air or break up water into a mist are inefficient, especially if youre watering when its hot and dry. A large percentage of the water will simply evaporate before it ever reaches the grass.

Impact and rotary sprinklers, on the other hand, can be adjusted to keep the water nearer the ground. Both types also spray water in streams or large drops that fall quickly to the ground without evaporating. Youll save water and money using an impact or rotary sprinkler whenever possible.

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Watering your lawn every day not only wastes money and water, but it can actually weaken your grass. When lawns are overwatered, most of the grassroots are in the top one inch of soil or so. That makes your lawn less drought tolerant and unhealthy, Churchill says.

He sees overwatered lawns particularly on properties with in-ground sprinkler systems. Most times, homeowners who have them love to use them, he says. A longer watering once or twice a week promotes deeper root growth as they grow deeper looking for water.

Also, adjust your watering to the conditions. Different areas of your lawn will have different watering requirements. The key is to make note of this as you water, so you can tailor your watering. For example, south-facing hills may require more water; areas under trees, less.

Yes. It happens all the time, Churchill says. Letting your grass go a few days without water will encourage deeper root growth for a healthier lawn.

To save money and resources, Skip watering your grass when temperatures are 95 degrees [Fahrenheit] or hotter, Castillero says. The water will most likely evaporate before reaching the roots.

Its okay, but not the best time. If lawn grasses are left wet going into the nighttime hours, turf diseases can sometimes become an issue, Churchill says. He recommends watering in the morning instead.

Joe Churchill is a Senior Turf Specialist for Reinders, a major distributor of lawn care products throughout the Midwest. Churchill is certified in Turf Management and has over 25 years of experience in the turfgrass industry.

Osmar Castillero is the owner of Blades Landscaping Services, a lawn care and maintenance company in Lowell, Massachusetts. He has over 10 years of experience in the industry.

Link:
10 Smart and Effective Ways to Water Your Lawn - Family Handyman

Idaho One of the most controversial issues in Idaho and throughout the arid west is water. Even with a wet winter with high snowfall, available water is limited. Homeowners caring for gardens and landscapes should be water-wise, and one way they can do that is by using drip irrigation.

Drip irrigation allows for precisely-controlled application of water; it allows water to drip slowly near the plant roots through a network of valves, pipes, tubing and emitters. Drip irrigation may not be right for everyone, but it is a technique that can reduce labor and increase production using less water. It exceeds 90 percent efficiency, while sprinkler irrigation systems are 50 to 70 percent efficient. In many locations, water utilities exempt landscapes using drip irrigation during drought.

Drip irrigation helps maintain a desirable balance of air and water in the soil so plants grow better. Water is delivered more frequently at low flow rates, with the goal of only giving the plant the water it needs. Weed and disease problems can be reduced as soil in between rows stays dry. Drip irrigation creates an environment where desirable plants get the water they need to outcompete weeds for nutrients and sunlight.

A drip irrigation system consists of a backflow prevention device, a control valve to turn on and off the water, a filtration system, a pressure regulator, mainline and sub-mains, drip lines, drip emitters and air and vacuum release valves. All of these components can be found at an irrigation supply or hardware store.

However, not all components are needed in every landscape or garden system.

The backflow prevention device is required to prevent water from flowing back into the domestic water system after the water has been shut off. The law requires these devices on all home irrigation systems.

Control valves are often attached to a timer or irrigation control device. Alternatively, ball valves may be used so you can manually control the flow of water to each set of drip lines.

One of the biggest problems associated with drip irrigation is the clogging of emitters by small debris. To combat this, good filtration is necessary. Most drip systems use a simple screen filter that can be rinsed periodically.

Pressure regulators are needed when your water source produces pressures that are higher than what the drip system is designed for. Pressure regulators reduce the pressure to the drip line. Excessive pressure causes leaks and causes parts to blow apart.

Depending on the complexity of the system, a mainline and sub-mains can be used to distribute water to individual drip lines. Mainlines are generally made from PVC, while sub-mains and drip lines are made from polyethylene tubes.

Drip lines should be covered with mulch to get the most from the limited water being supplied. In addition, mulch helps keep the drip lines in place during windstorms. Drip lines have small openings at regular intervals, so they should be used in row plantings, where plants are also planted at regular intervals.

Emitters are water-dispensing devices that regulate the flow of water to the soil. Theyre sold according to flow rates and typically come in one-half, one, two and four gph (gallons per minute) models. Emitters are one of the least expensive parts of the system but are one of the first to get clogged by debris. Emitters are used when plants are not found at regular intervals. Emitters can be installed to water hanging baskets, around shrubs, or anywhere drip lines will not supply sufficient water.

Air and vacuum release valves release air out of the system as it fills with water and allows air back into the system when the water is turned off. They should be placed at high points or ends of the system.

To set up a drip system, a backflow regulator is connected to the water supply, followed by the filter and then the mainline. Valves are installed at points where submains are installed. Each sub-main will supply water to drip lines in one zone. Drip lines are connected to the submain using T-connectors and run along the rows within planting beds. Emitters are installed on sub-mains to supply water to plants not being reached with the drip lines. The end of sub-mains and drip lines should have the air and vacuum release valves installed.

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Drip irrigation can deliver efficient water use - East Idaho News

Its hard to make business transactions without the use of the internet. Whether tracking inventory, storing customer information or managing payroll systems, the web is part of our daily lives. The internet is like a car we know how to drive it, but not necessarily what makes the engine run. We need experts in that field to secure our information.

Businesses may either have an internal IT department or an IT support company to manage the companys virtual engine and provide certain protections so email is secure, the supply chain is updated in real time and the business runs efficiently.

But what happens when a system is breached and held for ransom? Maybe an employee mistakenly clicks a link in an email that looks legitimate but has unknowingly downloaded malicious software onto their device. Their system is now locked up and the business comes to a standstill. The company has been hit with ransomware, a type of malware designed to encrypt files and make them unusable. The bad guys will release the system, for a price.

Americans lost more than $10.3 billion last year due to cybercrimes, according to a 2022 Internet Crime Report produced by the FBIs Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) . Among the complaints received in 2022, phishing, personal data breach and non-payment/non-delivery were the top incidents reported.

David Colter, owner of the DJ Colter Agency, American Family Insurance, with offices in Fargo, Grand Forks, Rugby and Cando, wants the regions business community to be aware of cyberthreats and know theres protection available.

Theres this big myth and fallacy: I have everything backed up with an IT company, I dont need cyber insurance. That is a huge fallacy. Not only do you need cyber, you need to have certain coverages, Colter said.

Cybertheft is on the rise and isnt relegated to large corporations in big cities its happening to small organizations across the U.S., including the upper Plains region.

Chicago-based Hiscox, a leader in business insurance, reports the top three drivers of the increase are the higher number of attacks, more people working from home and more employees using their own devices for work.

Cyber insurance protects against computer-related crimes and losses. This could include targeted attacks such as malware and phishing, as well as the occasional misplaced laptop containing confidential material, according to Hiscox.

Submitted

Zac Paulson, CEO of TrueIT in Fargo, said his company has seen an increase in email takeovers, where somebody is taking over an email account and sending emails on a persons behalf.

Typically whats happening is wire transfers theyre changing bank routing information, he said.

Colter said cyber insurance is a new type of coverage in the insurance industry and theres a lot to learn. He relies on experts like Paulson to help his customers understand how cybercrimes can happen, and what businesses can do to make sure they have the correct protection.

My biggest fear is people assume its part of their general liability, and its not, Colter said. I talked to someone in town, a business owner and this (ransomware) shut them down for months. They told me that if they didnt have the coverage, theyd be done.

Paulson said he wants to make clear that the coverage an IT department or business offers is not the same coverage as insurance protection.

There are some companies, thats what they do, but theyre the firefighters, the hotshot people that dive into forest fires and have a whole other level of excitement, Paulson said. Thats not what a managed IT company does. The IT company is doing their best effort to protect you, but thats like saying the sprinkler system is keeping the building from burning down.

Thats not right the sprinkler system is turned on once the fire starts to help put out the fire. But theyre not a guarantee. You dont buy a sprinkler system and not buy insurance, which is also why youre seeing insurance companies demanding a certain level of protection from the IT organizations, too.

IT security costs a company about $25-50 a month per employee on average, Paulson said, and he expects that cost to double in the next three years.

From a support standpoint, its somewhere between $50-100 a month per employee. Now its about half the cost of supporting an employee to securing them. In the future, three years from now, Id say it would be the exact same cost, if not more, just to secure them.

So what does cybersecurity cover? It may vary but typically protects the following: breach costs, cyberextortion, cybercrime, business interruption and data recovery. Additional coverage may include a digital media upgrade.

Whats not covered may include claims brought in the form of criminal proceedings, transfer of funds lost due to cyber crimes, infrastructure interruption, intentional acts by the business or employees, prior acts or knowledge, subsidiary outside control of named insured and business interruption from systems under the control of third parties.

It doesn't have to be complicated. We just want to educate people, Colter said. We have someone like Zac that can help in that realm, and like us, to determine what policy best fits their situation. Getting something in place is better than nothing.

The Federal Trade Commission has cybersecurity guidance that can help small businesses when reaching out to insurance providers.

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Consider cybersecurity insurance - Grand Forks Herald