@article{5f7958a0002b48408648184b3ba95b6f,
title = "Water conservation potential of modified turf grass irrigation in urban parks of Phoenix, Arizona",
abstract = "Large amounts of water are consumed by urban parks in arid regions such that efficient irrigation practices are needed. In Phoenix, Arizona, extensive turf grass areas are supported using flood or sprinkler irrigation that also require fertilizers. Residential green waste compost has the potential to serve an alternative fertilizer if its higher costs can be offset through water conservation. In this study, we conducted an ecohydrological monitoring and modelling effort for a compost experiment in two urban parks with either flood or sprinkler irrigation. Soil moisture, evapotranspiration and turf greenness data along with a soil water balance model were used to determine if compost treated plots were different from control plots in each park. After building confidence in the model through comparisons to data, we created long-term scenarios to explore differences between flood and sprinkler irrigation practices and analyse the effect of changes in irrigation scheduling. Multiple lines of evidence indicated that green waste compost applications did not appreciably change soil moisture or vegetation conditions in either urban park. Major differences, however, were noted between the two irrigation practices in terms of the seasonality of the soil water balance, plant water stress and the sensitivity to interannual fluctuations in precipitation. Model scenarios showed that significant irrigation reductions from 15% to 30% could be achieved, in particular with small changes in watering depths. As a result, irrigation management in urban parks can meet water conservation targets that potentially offset green waste compost costs while also benefitting the soil water balance through reductions in water losses.",
keywords = "circular economy, compost, evapotranspiration, modelling, outdoor water use, plant water stress, soil water balance, urban ecohydrology",
author = "Mercedes Kindler and Vivoni, {Enrique R.} and P{\'e}rez-Ruiz, {Eli R.} and Zhaocheng Wang",
note = "Funding Information: We thank the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department, in particular Larry Polk, Joel Carbajal and Rick Templeton, for their help in obtaining site permits and irrigation data, field support and for numerous discussions of the modelling outcomes in Encanto and Paradise Valley Parks. Project funding was provided by the Central Arizona Project, the City of Phoenix, and the Innovative Conservation Program of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Planet imagery was made available through the Planet Incubator Program at Arizona State University. We are grateful to Bill Campbell and the Arizona State University Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Service for their support. We thank Giuseppe Mascaro and Margaret Garcia for their comments on earlier versions of this work. We also thank the Arizona Meteorological Network (http://cals.arizona.edu/AZMET/) for providing weather station data. The data sets collected as part of this study at the two parks (Kindler & Vivoni, 2021) and the eddy covariance observations (Kindler et al., 2020) are available through Zenodo. Funding Information: We thank the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department, in particular Larry Polk, Joel Carbajal and Rick Templeton, for their help in obtaining site permits and irrigation data, field support and for numerous discussions of the modelling outcomes in Encanto and Paradise Valley Parks. Project funding was provided by the Central Arizona Project, the City of Phoenix, and the Innovative Conservation Program of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Planet imagery was made available through the Planet Incubator Program at Arizona State University. We are grateful to Bill Campbell and the Arizona State University Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Service for their support. We thank Giuseppe Mascaro and Margaret Garcia for their comments on earlier versions of this work. We also thank the Arizona Meteorological Network ( http://cals.arizona.edu/AZMET/ ) for providing weather station data. The data sets collected as part of this study at the two parks (Kindler & Vivoni, 2021 ) and the eddy covariance observations (Kindler et al., 2020 ) are available through Zenodo. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.",
year = "2022",
month = apr,
doi = "10.1002/eco.2399",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "15",
journal = "Ecohydrology",
issn = "1936-0584",
publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Ltd",
number = "3",
}