'SMART' SPRINKLERS LOOK SMARTER: THEY'RE FREE.

Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer

Hoping to cut wasteful watering, the Department of Water and Power is giving away 100 ``smart-sprinkler'' systems designed to increase or decrease irrigation, depending on the weather.

The giveaway is part of a pilot program to test the ease, effectiveness and reliability of the weather-sensitive sprinklers.

DWP Water Conservation Manager Tom Gackstetter hopes that, if successful, smart sprinklers could eliminate several problems, such as irrigation systems than run too long and spill onto sidewalks and streets, or those that still come on when it rains.

``It kills me,'' Gackstetter said. ``Are these people just not paying attention? Do they not care?

``Working at the DWP, I recognize how precious our water supply is, and to see it wasted in that fashion, it really hurts me,'' Gackstetter said.

Weather-sensitive sprinklers take the guesswork out of watering and have cut household consumption by 40 gallons a day in Orange County. That kind of conservation could save a DWP customer roughly $50 per year.

The system includes a rain and sunlight sensor that's installed on the roof and feeds weather information to a controller in the garage. The customer sets the controller according to what's being watered - flowers, shrubs or lawn - and the controller calculates how much water is needed based on the weather.

Residents must already have an efficient in-ground irrigation system and sprinkler controller.

The system was invented by Winnetka-based Accurate WeatherSet and would retail for $395. There are other smart irrigation systems on the market that use satellite technology or historical weather data to set the watering schedule.

Accurate WeatherSet was the lowest bidder and selected by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to provide 5,000 sprinkler controllers regionwide. The MWD will distribute them through pilot programs or customer rebate offers.

``We have high hopes, but we don't know (how they'll perform),'' said Lynn Lipinski, manager of the MWD's outdoor water conservation program. ``We have to do a series of pilots over two years to get a sense of the technology. There's a lot of excitement about it statewide.''

The MWD and the DWP pooled revenue from a Proposition 13 water bond measure passed in 2000 to help pay for the $2.5 million project.

The DWP plans to track water consumption and customer satisfaction at homes where the smart sprinklers are installed. If they work well, Gackstetter envisions someday a smart sprinkler in every yard in Los Angeles.

Kerry Cavanaugh, [phone]

kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com

SMART SPRINKLER

Here's how Los Angeles DWP customers can apply for the giveaway program.

--Call [phone] to reserve a controller. There are a limited number available on a first-come, first-served basis.

--Have an existing sprinkler controller system, which you have to trade in to get the new smart system.

--Attend an hourlong training program in Sherman Oaks on Nov. 5.

--Participate in a survey and be willing to allow the DWP to visit and check out the system once it's installed.

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SMART SPRINKLER (see text)