Smart sprinkler system saves water, money
By Joann Groff joann@theacorn.com

EFFICIENT MONITOR- Oak Park resident Reza Pourzia created this computer-controlled system that allocates the amount of water used by lawn sprinklers and prevents "soggy soil syndrome."

When Reza Pourzia went on walks around his Oak Park neighborhood, he noticed sprinklers over-watering soggy lawns and runoff streaming down the sidewalks.

"I thought, 'There must be a better way.' I wanted to come up with an easytouse watering solution, and this was before we knew water shortage was going to be such a major issue."

The more he thought about it, the more Pourzia, an engineer, noticed how ineffective watering systems were. Sprinklers shot on whether it was winter or summer and even kept going in the rain. All parts of the yard were watered the same amount or sometimes were missed completely.

When wireless technology took off, Pourzia had his answer. He created Cyber-Rain, which launched a product a few months ago that he's hoping will change the way residents, schools and businesses irrigate their properties.

The Cyber-Rain XCI system looks very similar to a typical sprinkler box mounted on an outside wall. The difference comes with the second part- a tiny device which plugs into any computer and shoots a wireless signal to the controller.

Cyber-Rain checks the weather from data sources and signals the controller based on the weather forecast. For example, if it's raining, the sprinklers will be shut off. If it's hot and dry, watering times will increase, or if it's cold and humid, watering will decrease.

Cyber-Rain users boast of a 30 to 70 percent savings on water bills. And in addition to savings, people know that they are saving water and, in turn, helping the environment.

"The key is the simplicity," Pourzia said. "People want to do the right thing, but if it's too complicated, people don't want to be bothered with it."

The system comes with a computer program that allows users to track how much water they are saving. They can also identify up to eight different zones in their yards and adjust the water needs depending on the plant life, soil type and sun exposure in those zones.

There are special features for planting new sod or fertilizing, where the watering times are temporarily regulated and then gradually returned to normal.

Aside from creating a healthier lawn and saving money on bills, Cyber-Rain is focused on reducing wasted water and eliminating runoff.

Judy Guido, chief marketing officer of Cyber-Rain, said more than 100,000 acres of farmland is being developed nationally every year. And although farmland needs irrigation, developed land requires much more water, she said.

"Think about the toilets, drinking water, cooking and cleaning, and about 60 percent of the water used at a development goes toward landscaping," Guido said. "Fifty percent of that water goes to waste. There's not a water district in the state that isn't looking at this water problem."

In an effort to stop runoff, Pourzia's firm created a cycleandsoak feature which determines the effective amount to water. Instead of watering for 10 minutes when soil can only soak up about two minutes' worth, the system breaks down the 10-minute watering into two-minute jolts with plenty of time in between to soak in.

"We want to keep soil where it's supposed to be," Guido said. "A lot of that dirt runs off into the water stream, and that's causing plant and animal life to die."

The Cyber-Rain XCI system is sold through www.cyber-rain.com, amazon.com and other online sites for $349.

CyberRain has offices in Agoura Hills, Oak Park and Moorpark.