The Harris-Galveston Subsidence District’s (HGSD) Water Conservation Grant Program will award the City of West University Place (COWUP) with up to $59,025 in grant funds to replace 19 irrigation systems with EPA WaterSense-labeled smart systems. These new systems will allow for efficient and effective irrigation throughout the city parks, buildings, and medians saving an estimated 35% of annual water use.

The COWUP will implement smart irrigation systems with innovative features including a flow sensor that can detect leaks, immediately notify the appropriate contact and automatically shut off to prevent water loss. “Sustainability is a huge goal of ours, we want to be an example for our residents and other parks and recreation agencies,” said Susan White, COWUP Director of Parks & Recreation.

HGSD is excited to partner with COWUP for this water conservation project and will share more information upon the project’s completion.

Project Summary: 

The City of West University Place’s Smart Irrigation Project stemmed from the recommendation made by the city’s Sustainability Task Force to consider smart irrigation systems for residential and municipal use. The city partnered with Weathermatic for their smart controller products and installation. Weathermatic completed a water use analysis at one of the city’s largest greenspace, Colonial Park, and estimated 35% of water savings with smart irrigation technology.  

From January 2024 to July 2024, the city had used 5.9 million gallons of water. After the installation of the smart controllers, the city used 3.9 million gallons of water from August 2024 to February 2025, almost 34% of water savings. Updates will be made to the Parks & Recreation Department’s Standard Operations Manual to require that all future city irrigation systems incorporate the smart irrigation equipment used in this project.  

The city successfully installed 19 smart controller systems and completed all necessary repairs in February 2025.  

Water Conservation Efforts: 

The city’s Recycling and Solid Waste Reduction Board (RSWRB) have recently evaluated opportunities to add sustainability programs to the duties and responsibilities of the Board which include water conservation programs. This new responsibility will have them exploring strategies to reduce water usage and promote sustainable practices among residents. The RSWRB also references the city’s successful implementation of Smart Water Irrigation systems in its parks and green spaces as a model example for residents to incorporate in their own homes.

Lesson Learned: 

  • Prior to the installation of the smart controllers, thorough inspections and repairs to current irrigation lines will ensure optimization for calculations and installation of new controllers.