TROPICAL STORM CLAUDETTE:  PUBLIC ADVISORY – 5:00 AM MONDAY, 17 AUGUST

— LOCAL STATEMENT / NWS OFFICE TALLAHASSEE – 5:41 AM MONDAY, 17 AUGUST

— LOCAL STATEMENT / NWS OFFICE MOBILE – PENSACOLA – 5:15 AM MONDAY, 17 AUGUST

— LOCAL STATEMENT / NWS OFFICE BIRMINGHAM – 11:46 PM SUNDAY, 16 AUGUST

It looks as though our next tropical visitor will be Tropical Depression Ana toward the end of the work week.  Ana weakened yesterday, and is barely now a tropical depression.  The forecast calls for her to weaken further into a remnant low pressure system as it crosses through the Caribbean islands during the next few days.  The fact that it will cross or come very near two of the more mountainous terrains in the region in Dominica and Cuba should help to prevent any strengthening, which would be good news for us, as Florida is in the five day forecast cone.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION ANA:  PUBLIC ADVISORY – 4:00 AM MONDAY, 17 AUGUST

And then there’s Bill, now the first hurricane of the season.  Bill is still several days away, but he will be worth watching.  According to the five day forecast, this storm should become a Catagory 3 system by late Tuesday or early Wednesday.  The good news is that while folks along the Carolina and Mid-Atlantic coasts will need to keep a watchful eye during the week, it seems as though the only land mass that may be of any major threat would be Bermuda by the weekend.  Let’s hope it keeps to open water.

HURRICANE BILL:  PUBLIC ADVISORY – 4:00 AM ET MONDAY, 17 AUGUST

I left a message on Facebook telling NewsChannel 8 meterologist Jennifer Hill, who returned from a brief mini-vacation this morning, that it was just a special way to welcome her back after having too much of a good time.

The season’s first tropical depression formed off the Mid-Atlantic coast early today, and at latest report was located about 305 miles south-southeast of Providence, Rhode Island.

It is forecast to possibly become a minimal tropical storm late tonight or early tomorrow, at which time it would be named Ana.  The forecast track takes it out into the open waters of the Atlantic off New England and Atlantic Canada, posing a threat only to fishing and shipping interests.

So, does the early start mean we will have an above average hurricane season?  Probably not, according to Dr. Jeff Masters of the Web site Weather Underground:

Early season storms occurring near the U.S. coast have not been shown to be correlated with an active main portion of hurricane season during August – October. However, the situation is different if we start getting June and July storms in the deep tropics between Africa and the Lesser Antilles Islands. This was the case last year, when the formation of Hurricane Bertha in the deep tropics in July presaged an active 2008 hurricane season. According to the Hurricane FAQ, “as shown in (Goldenberg 2000), if one looks only at the June-July Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes occurring south of 22°N and east of 77°W (the eastern portion of the Main Development Region [MDR] for Atlantic hurricanes), there is a strong association with activity for the remainder of the year. According to the data from 1944-1999, total overall Atlantic activity for years that had a tropical storm or hurricane form in this region during June and July have been at least average and often times above average. So it could be said that a June/July storm in this region is pretty much a “sufficient” condition for a year to produce at least average activity.”

For almost two years now I’ve been preaching the gospel of micro irrigation. Estimates are that 50% of our total potable water consumption goes towards lawns and gardens. The use of micro irrigation is a valuable tool conserving our water resources.

But here’s the catch – I’d never actually installed or used a micro system, and was thinking it was about time to rectify that situation. Then I spent a week sharing a booth at Sun n Fun with Jo Reese, the charming sales rep for the Dundee company that manufactures one of the most popular brands of micro irrigation products . I learned that the concept for micro irrigation was born in Polk County, as an option for the citrus industry. The residential use of micro was an offshoot of that commercial use and the product is still manufactured right here in Polk, and distributed nationally.

Last week I realized the time had come. I enlisted a ‘supervisor’ and we traveled over to my local retailer. I only have three beds that needed to be watered, but I purchased the starter kit plus extras because I really wasn’t sure how many misters I’d need. The kit comes with a very useful DVD that explains the installation process, and we took the time to watch that first, while leaving the large supply tube unrolled in the yard, softening up in the sun.

I’m always a little nervous when a project involves the cutting of materials, so it was with great trepidation that I lifted my tool to make the first cut of the supply tube. My ‘supervisor’ assured me that it was the right thing to do so I snipped away. We fed the tube under the house behind the front steps, and then stretched it around to the end of the beds. The kit comes with a handy dandy gizmo that clamps of the tube, but leaves you with the ability to extend the system if desired. Now we realized that I’d probably want 90* elbow connectors so the tube would follow the lines of the house, so back to my local retailer went.

Armed with the new fittings it only took about twenty minutes to get the supply tubing in place and connected. Now came the fun part – time to hook up the individual misters. Everything needed to do this, including the hole punch tool, is included in the starter kit. To my surprise I only needed one of the extra misters that I bought, for a total of 6 along a 50’run. After my ‘supervisor’ demonstrated on the first one, installing them went quickly. Adjusting the spray heads took a few minutes more. I’d estimate total time involved for this part was about 30 minutes.

I had so much material left over that it warranted a third trip to my local retailer. I returned enough items to pay for a pack of drippers and a timer. I didn’t want to think I was too lazy to walk outside and turn on the faucet, so I had considered the timer to be a luxury item – once installed I realized it made sense. I used the drippers for potted plants, including a new potted herb garden. Now, when I go on vacation, my garden will continue to be watered regularly and I won’t come home to find dead plants.

Total time spent on this project was about 4 hours. Most of that came from the three trips to the store. Actual time spent on the actual installation was maybe an hour, and the only tool I needed was a pair of scissors. As for water conservation, this system uses ten gallons/hour. I have the timer set to water for 20 minutes every other day, so I’m only using about 10 gallons/week. This is probably about 25% of what I used when I was watering everything with a hose. The system comes on at 4:00AM, so the water has a chance to sink in slowly before the heat of the day. The timer has a manual mode so if/when the summer rains begin I can turn it off.

For minimal effort and reasonable cost I’ve made a great improvement in my garden, while at the same time doing my part to conserve water…truly a win-win situation. And now when I talk to people at events and workshops I can speak from personal experience, making my message more effective.

Outdoor water use can account for up to 50 percent of water consumed by households, which means it is where water conservation practices can make the biggest impact. April is Water Conservation Month, so here are a few ways to reduce your outdoor water consumption by inspecting your irrigation system and using a rain sensor.

Inspecting Your Irrigation System

On your irrigation day, manually start your irrigation system for each zone to check for leaks, broken pipes, damaged or tilted sprinkler heads, blocked sprinkler patterns and overspray onto impermeable surfaces such as roads and sidewalks.

Check for soft, wet spots that are around the inground sprinkler head. If consistent, these spots could indicate a leak that is being absorbed into the ground. Contact your irrigation maintenance specialist if repairs are needed.

Look for dry spots. They are a sign of one of the following: the sprinklers may be placed too far apart; the water pressure is low; sprinkler patterns may be blocked by overgrown grass; shrubs or low-hanging limbs may be blocking the sprinklers; or the screens inside the sprinklers are clogged.

Adjust, move or add sprinkler heads if your current sprinklers do not throw water 80 to 100 percent of the distance to the adjacent sprinkler.

A garden hose without a shutoff nozzle can waste 530 gallons of water in an hour. Use a shutoff nozzle on your hose that can be adjusted down to a fine spray so that water flows only as needed. When finished, turn it off at the spigot instead of at the nozzle to avoid leaks.

Inspecting Your Rain Shutoff Device

If you have an automatic sprinkler system, be sure it is equipped with a working rain shutoff device to override the system when enough rain has fallen. As water evaporates from the device, the irrigation system will resume normal operation. Rain shutoff devices, also known as rain sensors, are required by Florida law on all automatic irrigation systems installed since 1991.

Make sure the rain shutoff device is located away from overhead obstructions, with a clear view of the sky and at least five feet away from air-conditioning units or pool heaters.

Check the rain shutoff device regularly to ensure the device is working properly and that the corresponding switch in the control box is set at “on.” Test the device by wetting the sensor to verify the system won’t operate when the controller has received the set amount of water.

Adjust the sensor to interrupt irrigation after one-half to three-quarters of an inch of rain. If there is a vent ring located just below the cap, the vent can be closed or partially closed to restrict air flow through the discs. Make sure the vent is closed so it will allow the disks to dry more slowly, thus keeping the system off for a longer period of time. This adjustment is used to compensate for an “overly sunny” location.

If you need to replace or purchase a new rain shutoff device you can purchase one at home improvement stores for between $17 and $60.

For more information, to register for a workshop, or to request a workshop for your group or neighborhood contact PolkisFF@gmail.com.

Upcoming Workshops:

Rain Barrel Workshop
Audubon Nature Center Native Plant Sale
Saturday, April 25, 9:30-10:30 am
115 Lameraux Road, Winter Haven
This workshop will teach you the basics of water conservation and stormwater runoff prevention using rain barrels. In this hands-on program you will create and take home a 55 gallon rain barrel. Rain barrels are $25-Pre-registration for rain barrels is required by April 20. You are welcome to attend the workshop for free if you do not want to purchase a rain barrels. Call 863-519-8677 ext 121 to register, or register online ( aeyasalonis@ifas.ufl.edu ). You will not receive a confirmation of your registration.

Micro Jet Irrigation Workshop
Thursday, April 30, 5:30-7:30 pm
Winter Haven Public Library
325 Avenue A NW, Winter Haven, FL
Precise Irrigation Design & Consulting will present an interactive workshop on micro jet irrigation for your yard, with an emphasis on the importance of conserving water in our Florida landscapes.
Call 863-298-5470 to register.