July and August trainings designed for professional irrigators

Irrigators, irrigator technicians and irrigation inspectors will receive hands-on and classroom instruction at trainings offered by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in July and August. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Charles Swanson)

COLLEGE STATION Currently, 785 public water systems in Texas have mandatory water-use restrictions in place with an additional 387 utilities following voluntary restrictions, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

That is 25 percent of the states water systems with restrictions, said Charles Swanson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service irrigation specialist, College Station.

Many people and municipalities are looking for ways to conserve water, particularly irrigation professionals seeking ways to make the best use of irrigation water for public parks, sports fields, landscapes and golf courses, Swanson said.

To bring professionals up to date on the latest methods to make best use of their resources, four trainings will be conducted in July and August by Swanson and Dr. Guy Fipps, AgriLife Extension irrigation engineer, College Station.

Three of the trainings will be held in College Station and one in Dallas. The College Station courses will be held in Room 317 of Scoates Hall on the Texas A&M University Campus. The Dallas course will be held in the Education Building at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 17360 Coit Road, Dallas.

Continuing education units will be offered for irrigators, irrigator technicians or irrigation inspectors licensed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

The names, dates, locations and descriptions for the trainings are:

Irrigation Troubleshooting and Performance Testing, July 30, College Station. The course will consist of hands-on training in how to program irrigation controllers, electrically troubleshoot controllers and valves, properly install rain sensors, determine sprinkler precipitation rates and create good irrigation schedules. Cost is $165. Eight continuing education units offered.

Solar and Wind Pumping Workshop, July 31, College Station. The workshop will teach how to design solar- and wind-powered pumping systems used with irrigation systems.

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July and August trainings designed for professional irrigators