August 1, 2025 - Update from All Terrain
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At this point, all zones should be running correctly and appear as expected to any untrained eye.
Irrigation Schedule Overview:
Rotors:
Start at 6:00 PM and run until 6:00 AM, except for the second cycle on Clock 2.
Clock 1 and Clock 2 rotors will run an additional 10 minutes per zone from 2:00 AM to 7:45 AM.
Spray Zones (primarily streetscapes):
Run in the morning and should be finished by 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM, depending on the area.
Our main focus is on the rotor programming, as any water loss is easier to address with spray zones manually, should we encounter dry areas.
Site Conditions & Next Steps:
North of Maple Hill and along Richards Lake will take a couple-three weeks to fully recover. Unfortunately, that’s just the reality of the situation.
We plan to apply another round of organic fertilizer late next week to support recovery, but ultimately the turf needs time to come out of dormancy.
Overwatering at this stage would be counterproductive, as it may encourage fungus, which has historically caused the bare spots we're seeing now due to past overwatering.
I'm confident the site will show significant progress—if not full recovery—within a few mow cycles.
Additional Notes:
The extra 10-minute cycle for Clock 1 and Clock 2 rotors is due to pressure loss in zones north of Maple Hill Drive (e.g., Clock 1 and 2), where turf stress is most visible.
Zones along Country Club benefit from more mature landscape with shade and ground coverage, giving them a natural edge and lower elevation and additional pressure.
For the next week, we’ll run evening cycles daily to monitor turf response and confirm the effectiveness of our calculations.
Mapping is included for reference, showing clock-specific coverage areas.
I’ve also attached well installation reports and decrees for your convenience.
PER City FO Fort Collins- Well Adequacy for Existing and Potential Future Demand The HOA indicates their sprinkler system is set for a peak delivery of 170 gpm. This peak delivery occurs in the summer months when irrigation demand is greatest. The HOA has indicated that the clocks run at half time during the shoulder seasons as irrigation demands ramp up into the summer and decrease into the fall.
The Theis equation was used to project the following drawdowns for the well operation scenarios presented below. The scenarios are intended to present maximum and likely operational drawdowns for the well and to confirm whether or not the proposed operational scenarios are achievable. Please don’t hesitate to reach out when you have a moment—I know things are probably getting hectic with school starting back up.
August 4, 2025 - Update from All Terrain
We monitored the system over the weekend for the new programming, and we’re currently unable to maintain a consistent 200 GPM. Ruben and I are working to reduce the system demand to stay under 175 GPM. WE were not happy with what we saw happen., At times we had good distribution by the zones that were running, other times, we could not even get the system to completely turn on programmed zones and the system was cavitating (running dry).
According to the City of Fort Collins’ 2019 study, the well system provides roughly 175 gallons per minute for up to 18 hours—and even less if run continuously. While I initially thought we were close to stable operation, it’s clear that after a few hours, the wells begin to struggle to refresh. This appears to be influenced by external factors, such as surrounding users drawing from the same aquifer at the same time and the age of the wells.
I’m not entirely sure what the wells are producing at peak, but we’re not currently able to sustain the 175-200 GPM programmed into the system. I’m now reducing demand in hopes of identifying a “sweet spot” where the system can operate consistently at the proper pressure and volume, ensuring adequate distribution across all zones. Until we are able to water confidently with a program that accommodates the ups and down of the wells production, there is not we can do about restoration or recovery.
This current programming adjustment means that some zones may now run outside of the preferred watering windows. Unfortunately, we simply don’t have enough water volume to stay within those typical windows—that much is clear.
To truly understand our capacity, a formal production test would be required. Until then, we’ll continue monitoring and making programming adjustments to align with the current output of the wells, which, as you know, can fluctuate based on the aquifer’s performance and demand from other users.
August 5, 2025 - Update from All Terrain
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Just wanted to share a quick update—no silver-bullet solutions yet, but we are making steady progress and learning more about the system as we go.
We’ve taken a deeper dive into the water availability and found the current schedule was a little aggressive still, while we can occasionally hit around 200 GPM, it doesn’t hold for long. After about :45mins , recovery drops to around 130–150 GPM, and we’re barely able to keep two zones running before we have to shut down and let the wells catch up With that in mind, we’ve built a new schedule ( Call it 2.1) that helps us run continuously without big gaps. If we push the system too hard and it needs to recover, the total run + recovery time can spill over 24 hours, which obviously isn’t ideal. So, we’re dialing things back a bit to find that sweet spot—steady flow, stable pressure, and minimal downtime.
If anyone is willing to casually keep an eye on things when you’re out and about, it would really help! Nothing formal—just if you notice something that looks or sounds off while driving by, feel free to shoot me a message. I’m also happy to walk you or other residents through what it should look and sound like if you want a quick crash course. The more eyes we have on it, the quicker we can fine-tune.
To be totally honest—if we can’t dial it in sustainably, at some point we may need to ask: What areas do we skip watering? But we’re not there yet, and we’re doing everything we can to avoid that.
What’s Happening Now
For the next 7–10 days, we’re running every zone once per day to build consistency and collect data:
Spray zones: 9 minutes
Rotor zones: 29 minutes
That’ll give us around 1.4–1.5” of water per week. Some areas will do just fine with that. Others—like Turnberry and Richards Lake—might still show stress on hot days. The turf will survive, but may not look its best. (Lots still in recovery)
This is a learning season for us, and while I don’t think the issues in past years were misdiagnosed, we finally get to experience them in real time and build toward a better long-term solution.
We’ve added a 1-minute delay between each zone to help stabilize pressure before the next one kicks on. It’s not a huge buffer, but it adds up to about 2:45 of recovery during the cycle and helps the wells keep pace.
New Schedule Details
I’ve attached the new schedule, which groups zones north and south of Maple Hill together. One thing we’ve noticed: when Country Club zones are running, gravity pulls water away from Richards Lake, making those north zones struggle. We’ve adjusted for that.
WE have created :15-:30 periods of time through the programs to help with refresh with only 1 or 0 zones running. ( Gray shaded)
We’ll continue tweaking things as we go. Right now, the longer run times are helping turf recover, but as we get more confident and confirm each zone is adjusted properly, we’ll start shortening the overall window.
You might also notice some watering earlier in the evening and later in the morning—that’s on purpose. It’s partly to show residents things are running, and running well. We’re hoping that builds some confidence that the board and All Terrain are actively working together to solve this.
Looking Ahead
Our ultimate goal is to water between 5:00 PM and 9:00 AM (drip excluded). But in peak summer, we may need to run nearly 20-22 hours a day just to keep up with turf demand—especially with ET depletion rates hitting .32–.38” per day. That’s 2.25”+ per week, and we’re currently only applying about 1.5”. So we’re already behind before the week even starts.
Multiply that across weeks, and you end up with stressed turf, disease, and the bare patches we’re already seeing at Richards Lake. That’s the result of turf reaching its permanent wilting point in past seasons and this year.
Right now, we’re touching every head in every zone—checking for alignment, elevation, and ensuring matched precipitation rates and making repairs where something is off. Once that’s done (should take a few days to a week), we’ll start dialing in individual run times by zone rather than constant being applied now for repeatability and desired outcome, and hopefully tighten the schedule even more.
August 12, 2025 - Update from All Terrain
Just wanted to give you a little update with small changes we are making. Overall things are coming back, except for we are still struggling to find the sweet spot for Clocks 7 and 8 in the program to run with like zones, yet not exceed available water, at the right timing of refresh and other issues that dictate your programming currently. (South of Maple Hill on Turnberry Rotors/Larger Areas)
Irrigation System Update
Clock 4 & Clock 9 – When originally installed (prior to our takeover), their SIM cards were swapped or entered incorrectly in the software. We have corrected this by swapping them back and syncing the controllers. They are now operating the correct programs. This explains why two pop-up zones on Turnberry were running for 29 minutes while the rotor zones east of the city park were only running 8 minutes (mistakenly programmed as pop-ups). Both controllers have now been synced and visually verified to be running correctly.
Clock 7 & Clock 8 – These are the next priority for adjustments. Current flow rates do not pair well with the programming and need to be separated from larger zones on Clocks 10, 1, 2, and 3. We are reprogramming these zones so they run more efficiently and will have them synced in time for the next mow cycle.
Mow Cycle – Day 1 of the 7-day cycle always follows the mow day. For Maple Hill, this is Thursday.
Our programming strategy uses the mow cycle to balance recovery and dry-out periods, aiming for three dry-out days, with two consecutive dry-out days before mow day.
The mow cycle is also a performance benchmark. Like a fresh haircut, it trims stressed blades, allowing new, healthy growth to push through.
Water Management Progress – We are identifying areas where we can reduce or skip watering days, giving us more flexibility and efficiency. Run times and watering days will be reduced on approximately one-third of the property.
Repairs & Maintenance – All major issues identified last week have been repaired. Remaining items are minor or cosmetic and do not affect current system performance or water supply.
Next Steps – We will continue monitoring, address new issues, and refine the program over the next few weeks. This will transition us out of the recovery stage, allowing for more productive discussions about long-term best practices within the limits of our water allocation
August 14, 2025 - Update from All Terrain
Want to share information that has come to light in the last few days from our monitoring….
Changing the irrigation schedule as we lose water earlier than previously observed. Don’t know if it is the time of the year or what…
In the last week we have fallen to 100-120 GPM at 42-44psi at best. List of zones in site exceed this in their demand for clock 1, 2 and 10.
August 17, 2025 - Update from All Terrain
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The wells are getting worse- I don’t know how else to tell you except pull the bandaid off and say it.
The attached version of schedule aims to not exceed 120 GPM- from all the that we gather, as long as we don’t exceed 120 GPM at any time, and have 8 hours per day under 80GPM we might be able to water everything. The attached schedule that is in effect as of tonight, has 4 periods that we exceed 120 GPM ( calculated by nozzle size and visual inspection at 45Psi) These periods are after a down time or a smaller demand running to potentially allow the wells to refresh prior to a high demand period. Please keep in mind the majority of rotor zones along Richards Lake and Turnberry north of Maple Hill Dr are in the 115-135 GPM demand.
The higher demand periods are combined to run at the bottom of the system near Country Club, I am hoping to capture some head pressure from gravity to get away with it, without running the wells dry.
This schedule will require that we mow around the irrigation (Maybe Split into two days) as we must run 24/7 almost. We are also only putting down about 1.3” of water- to make this work, I had to reduce run times to get it all to fit, and even then, I have some zones only running about 1” a week hoping to take advantage of the available shade where there is some. Any periods were temps get above 90-95 degrees requires 1.75-2” a week in most cases to keep Turf aesthetically appealing and healthy.
Without knowing when we will run out of water and at what point, we must be on the safe side. If we do run out of water, we must stop all irrigation, and it is a good 6-8 hours before we can start again.
Fingers crossed that this version will work, or at least show us we are going in the right direction. If it doesn’t work, it will be difficult as there is no room to just add more water…..in the whole week we have about 36 minutes where something is not running.
August 18, 2025 - Update from All Terrain
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I verified my programming this morning and found two clerical errors in my spreadsheet. We also adjusted a few schedules based on how the turf is actually being used. For example, kids often play baseball on Bar Harbor (south of their house) in the afternoons. Clock 9 had been scheduled to run right as they were getting home from school, which meant the sprinklers would be on during their game. To avoid that conflict, we shifted it to mid-morning and rearranged a few other cycles. Programming is more than just “making it work”—many practical factors need to be considered for it to be successful.
Attached is the updated schedule (hot off the press), along with a PDF of the Site Program Settings. Both are simply two different views of the same information.
Layne, Ruben, and I have also been reviewing the historical reports going back to the original production tests when the wells were drilled. Our goal has been to understand the decline rate in production over the last two decades and use that data to help shape the current programming. Even with our best estimates—factoring in head counts, nozzle output, and refresh rates—there’s always a margin of error. The most important thing is to avoid running the wells dry. If downtime occurs, it can take multiple days or even weeks to have watering catch back up, leaving stressed areas without water for longer than we want. .
This is where Transducers/Well Flow Sensing become critical. By sitting in the wells and monitoring water levels throughout irrigation cycles, they provide real-time information on drawdown and recharge rates. Since each well has a cavity that stores water, we can temporarily exceed the natural refresh rate and run larger zones—but only if we then rotate to lighter zones that allow recovery. Without monitoring, we’re guessing. With transducers, we’ll be able to see:
Current water levels
Actual refresh rates
Seasonal impacts on well performance
This data, combined with telemetry reports, allows us to proactively adjust programming and avoid those moments when we expect water to be available but it isn’t. In short, well sensing provides the insight we need to manage demand without risking system downtime.
August 18, 2025 - Update from All Terrain
While the current 24/7 watering schedule isn’t ideal, I can confirm that every time I’ve checked, the system has been running correctly with proper volume, pressure, and coverage. This has already led to noticeable recovery in several areas, which is very encouraging. Combined with cooler temperatures and some recent precipitation, we’ve seen strong improvements over the last 10 days since the most recent program change. This does not mean we can accommodate 95+ degrees for 8 weeks, but the current system is showing it can handle coverage- it has yet to pass the threshold of mid-summer aesthetic or health expectations though.
At this point, I’m confident we are operating within sustainable parameters (±10%), for the seasonality we are currently in. I’ll continue monitoring the system performance to ensure we don’t exceed available water capacity at the macro level.
Transducers / Flow Monitoring
I’m still waiting on formal proposals (a couple vendors are out on vacation), but I anticipate pricing in the \$25–28k range. It’s been about a year since I last reviewed this type of work, as it’s not common in HOA maintenance. Installing well transducers and/or flow sensors would provide real-time production data, allowing us to identify when wells are underperforming. While this won’t solve production shortfalls, it will prevent programming delays and help us communicate proactively with the community (e.g., “Here’s what to expect over the next 4–6 weeks while water is below demand”).
Primary Micro-System Repairs (Zones, Heads, Nozzles)-Will work on this over the next weeks-
The majority of the property has already been repaired, but the next step is fine-tuning at the zone level. Since we’re programming irrigation down to the minute, it’s important that all zones are operating evenly. Key items include:
Repair/Replace/Dialing in each head to eliminate dry spots in otherwise functional zones.
Repairing clogged spray nozzles/heads and pinched laterals in mature streetscapes.
Adjusting heads to reduce overspray.
Raising heads where turf growth is impeding arcs—normal wear and tear similar to replacing tires or wipers.
Secondary System Repairs
Find locate and cleaning of all valve boxes for easier access and quicker maintenance, geolocation and just good preventive maintenance ( don’t think this has ever been done and some valve boxes are buried and lost)
Geolocation: Your controllers allow us to geo-tag every system component and build a digital map stored in your cloud account. This will be invaluable for future renovations, water management, and reducing repair costs.
Turf & Weed Management
If we experience another heat spell, I recommend a follow-up turf spray. We would switch to a product better suited for higher temps and target **kochia**, which is currently the primary issue. This would need to happen in the next couple of weeks to be effective. This requires approval as there are no more frequencies left in the contract. Layne will assist with the pricing and coordination.
The goal is to have the system dialed in by winterization, so next spring with our gained knowledge and full understanding of the systems personality, we can avoid any major hiccups next year and just hit the ground running next year.
September 4, 2025 - Update from All Terrain
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I’ve attached the updated scheduling. We’re still making a few minor adjustments, but most changes won’t be noticeable without looking closely. We’ve begun adjusting run times and reducing watering where possible.
For example, with the holiday week and mowing schedule changes, tonight’s watering has been shut off to allow for mowing. Today’s watering was also shut off so we could prep for seeding and confirm that all scheduled seeding areas are functioning properly. To make adjustments and check coverage, we need the system completely off to ensure optimum pressure. Currently, we are not overlapping any zones in programming—so we need to have same conditions during system checks.
Layne and I are also working on programming for seed establishment. Once seeding is complete, we’ll adjust again to keep seed areas consistently moist to encourage strong growth before winter. Thankfully, this is fairly straightforward with the IQ system.
Side Note: I spoke with Watertronics regarding the controllers and transducers for the telemetry project we’re budgeting. We’re still in the rough design phase. We’ve identified several controller options that would give us real-time data on water availability as well as telemetry on flow usage. Watertronics engineers are currently confirming compatibility with two different VFDs already in place. At this stage, there are no design fees, though that could come up later depending on the outcome of the compatibility checks.
There are quite a few technical details with connectors, amperage, and other specs that are best left to their engineers to confirm. Once we know the design will meet our needs, we’ll have the confidence to move forward with budgeting on this item.
September 4, 2025 - Update from All Terrain
I don’t anticipate any issue having confirmed numbers for the flow and telemetry upgrades by the first of October. I’ve heard that a budget of $30,000 has already been penciled in for this project.
If, for any reason, there is a delay in finalizing the numbers, I believe that $30,000 will still be sufficient to complete the project. This figure also provides some flexibility to account for fluctuations in material pricing, especially since the work will extend into spring and material costs in our industry can be difficult to predict.
Since you’ve given me the opportunity to expand on water management and technology, I’ve added more detail on how IQ Software, telemetry, and flow management work together to deliver better results. I’d be happy to meet and discuss options, system capabilities, and the long-term plan for getting Maple Hill to where it needs to be.
The biggest takeaway is that no matter how advanced the technology, it takes time to align all the factors required to optimize performance. While Maple Hill has IQ installed—and it is certainly better to have it than not—installation alone doesn’t unlock its full potential. To get maximum benefit, the supporting infrastructure also needs to be in place, and the software has to be actively managed and understood on the operations side. It’s not an overnight transition—it’s a commitment and a culture shift in how water use is planned and managed.
The value of IQ is that it removes programming guesswork when ET (evapotranspiration) logic is applied. That allows us to focus on improving system infrastructure and overall performance, rather than constantly questioning whether zones are receiving too much, too little, or just enough water. When issues do arise—such as dry spots—ET programming essentially points them out, saying: “This is the problem, fix me.” Dry spots are good thing in the transition and approach to optimizing a system.
Understanding IQ and Flow Management
At this point, the IQ platform is not using any flow parameters as none exist. IQ is running at the maximized capability of current infrastructure and components installed. The key thing to understand is that IQ is a software that allows us to:
Set and adjust irrigation programs.
Pull reports to analyze system performance.
Incorporate global weather data to adjust run times based on real-time conditions and plant material demand, if enabled
IQ runs entirely in the cloud and communicates with each controller. When the irrigation system has the proper infrastructure, IQ can be programmed to automatically make changes to each controller. This function is not enabled as we can not let the controller assume we have x amount of available water- The Software is only being used to access the controllers remotely, efficiently in a time saving manner.
Controllers on Site
The controllers at Maple Hill are ESP ME LX models. These units are capable of registering flow, but only if a flow module and flow sensor are installed. Currently, there is no real-time flow monitoring in place because:
There is no flow sensor on the main line.
A proper setup would require direct physical connections between each controller and a dedicated flow sensor.
Due to the distances from the vault/pumps and associated costs, this is not feasible.
True flow sensing requires a 1:1 relationship between controller and sensor.
Currently, we have a 1:9 relationship. This means if one controller is running and another detects unexpected flow, the system could react incorrectly.
We plan on using the flow sensor to determine the flow of each zone and manually entering the flow per zone in each programming set up.
Role of Flow Sensing
Even without real-time monitoring, flow sensing remains critical. We can still use it in a limited but valuable capacity:
Run one zone at a time, record the flow, and manually input the values into each controller.
Use these recorded flows to pair smaller zones without exceeding available water.
We will set programs to run x zones without exceeding max flow, once telemetry is installed – reducing the water window required.
Coordinate the controllers with well transducers (which monitor available water in real time) to ensure that total flow never exceeds system capacity.
This allows us to shift from a rigid schedule (zone X at time Y for Z minutes) to a dynamic setup that considers:
Available well water.
Known flow demand per zone.
Real-time weather data from IQ.
Importance of Distribution Uniformity
For IQ’s weather-based programming to work correctly, the irrigation system must apply water uniformly within each zone.
Matched Precipitation: Each head in a zone should apply water at the same rate as the others.
Distribution Uniformity: Each spray pattern must cover its intended area evenly, without gaps, overspray, or blockages.
Issues like low/high heads, tilted heads, or partial clogs reduce uniformity.
Without uniform distribution, the controller assumes conditions are perfect,-this doesn’t match reality currently, leading to inefficiency and stress on plant material. Distribution Uniformity takes time to correct (seasons) in a system the size of Maple Hill.
Path Forward for Maple Hill
A property of this size will take 1–2 seasons to fully calibrate and fine-tune. During this time, we will:
Measure and record flow for each zone. (Assuming Flow is installed)
Verify and improve distribution uniformity. (Constantly working through the system weekly and as issues arise)
Gradually move toward weather-based automatic adjustments. (Highly dependent on known available water, and available water being able to sustain multiple zones running overlapped)
For now, IQ is invaluable for managing such a large property because it allows efficient programming changes. However, until we confirm actual water use per zone and available well capacity on a real time basis, we will continue to restrict the system to set run days and times.
This prevents the risk of overlapping programs and exceeding water availability, which earlier in the season resulted in issues like:
HALO patterns in turf.
Zones spewing water due to excessive simultaneous demand on the wells.
Wide spread stress property wide.