PETALUMA, Calif., Aug. 16, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The City of St. Helena, California today announced the launch of Smart Yard®, an innovative water conservation program designed to achieve more sustainable water use for St. Helena residents. The City will provide homeowners and businesses with water efficient WeatherTRAK smart irrigation technology to protect landscape health and local water supply.
"The Smart Yard program makes it easy for property owners to optimize landscape health while reducing outdoor water use," said St. Helena Mayor Del Britton. "Our city is committed to eliminating water runoff and helping to sustain future water supplies. The Smart Yard program unites the entire St. Helena community around the common goal of saving water."
St. Helena's progressive use of Smart Yard addresses growing constraints faced by communities across the United States. As water supplies dwindle, cities and agencies must secure more reliable water sources. Conserving water is the lowest cost source of water for providers and their customers, particularly when compared to developing new infrastructure or purchasing water from wholesaler agencies.
The Smart Yard program will provide a WeatherTRAK smart irrigation controller to qualifying St. Helena water customers at no up-front cost. WeatherTRAK controllers automate irrigation schedules via real-time satellite technology, taking the guesswork out of watering landscapes. The City of St. Helena is financing the program for participating customers with a low-cost, affordable monthly fee on water bills over five years. In most cases, the monthly water savings achieved by the WeatherTRAK technology will offset the customer's program fee which also includes a landscape water use evaluation, installation of the controller and on-going WeatherTRAK customer support.
The City is partnering with Petaluma-based HydroPoint Data Systems, Inc., provider of the WeatherTRAK Smart Water Management solution, to manage the Smart Yard water conservation program. The company's WeatherTRAK smart irrigation controllers are proven in more than 23 public agency studies. Landscape water use, on average, consumes 60 percent of communities' water supplies, and most landscapes are typically overwatered by 30 to 300 percent.
"The City of St. Helena is demonstrating to cities and utility agencies throughout the country that outdoor water conservation programs are smart environmentally and financially," said Chris Spain, CEO and president, HydroPoint. "By using proven technology to eliminate water waste, Smart Yard saves money and delivers a win-win for the local community."
The City of St. Helena selected HydroPoint to administer the program because of the company's demonstrated track record of successes in achieving water conservation goals for thousands of organizations in the public and private sectors, maximizing value for municipalities, water agencies and their customers.
To learn more about the City of St. Helena Smart Yard program, visit www.smartyard.com/st_helena.
About the City of St. Helena
The City of St. Helena is located in the center of the world famous wine growing Napa Valley, 65 miles north of San Francisco. The City from its inception has served as a rural agricultural center. Over the years, with the growth and development of the wine industry, the City has become an important business and banking center for the wine industry. Committed to maintaining a small-town atmosphere with quality services for its citizens, the City of St. Helena actively promotes water-wise gardening and the protection of Napa County's water ways and ecosystems through partnerships with the Napa County Stormwater Management Program and the California Urban Water Conservation Council. Learn more at www.ci.st-helena.ca.us/.
The City of St. Helena logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=14090
The Smart Yard logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=14091
About HydroPoint Data Systems, Inc.
HydroPoint, founded in 2002, is the market and technology leader in Smart Water Management. An EPA WaterSense Partner, HydroPoint and the company's WeatherTRAK technology uniquely deliver a multitude of financial and environmental benefits by revolutionizing management of the area of greatest waste in urban water use: landscape irrigation. Proven in 23 independent studies, including the vanguard pollution runoff study led by the EPA, the WeatherTRAK solution saves water, reduces energy demand, and protects water quality while it minimizes liability and expense exposure. In 2011 alone, subscribers including AIMCO, Lockheed Martin, and numerous federal, municipal and educational institutions saved 17 billion gallons of water, 68 million kilowatt hours and 91 million pounds of CO2. Facing water rates ranging from $2 to $6 per 1,000 gallons and related expenses due to overwatering damages ranging from $500 to $10,000 per site, companies across the U.S. have identified WeatherTRAK as the green initiative with the fastest payback. Headquartered in Petaluma, Calif., HydroPoint is privately owned and operated. For more information, visit www.hydropoint.com.
The HydroPoint Data Systems logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=13966
