Irrigation
The landscapers are constantly monitoring, adjusting, and repairing the irrigation systems to keep our trees and landscaping healthy while being mindful of our water use. Kentfield Commons follows all state and local watering guidelines. Irrigation timers to the professionally recommended schedule for the given season, temperature and weather patterns. (See Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA): Irrigation and Lawn Care Tips.)
Irrigation Schedule:
- Irrigation is usually turned on in March or April.
- The Irrigation in Front Yards operates between the hours of 8PM and 5AM.
- Instead of returning to the community's pre-drought schedule of watering 5 days a week, the landscapers follow BAWSCA's recommendation of watering deeply just 2 or 3 days per week.
- We use the "Cycle and Soak" method of splitting watering into several cycles to reduce run off and achieve deeper watering. This encourages trees and plants to develop stronger, deeper, healthier root systems that sustain them during times of drought.
- Kentfield Commons is outfitted with MP Rotator high efficiency sprinkler heads. The rotating nozzle delivers multiple streams of water at a slow rate, significantly reducing runoff. This requires longer run times, but this slower application rate allows up to 30% less water use when compared to traditional sprays.
- PLEASE NOTE: Three Rivers has recently notified the HOA that the last landscape vendors missed some sprinklers, so some front yards have a combination of both low efficiency and high efficiency sprinkler heads. This may account for some inconsistencies that have been reported. Three Rivers will be upgrading any old sprinkler heads they find to the high efficiency sprinkler heads.
- Front Yard Lawn and Tree Schedule: Lawns, and trees growing on lawns, are watered on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Two, 20-minute cycles.
- Front Yard Planting Bed Schedule: The shrubs are on a separate schedule and are watered Tuesdays and Fridays.
- Lawn reconditioning requires consistent daily daytime watering during the 5 week seed germination and establishment phase. Once completed, the irrigation returns to the normal nighttime-only schedule. Homeowners who do not want to invest in additional watering can opt out. See Lawn Reconditioning.
- Kentfield Commons does not have automatic rain sensors, the landscapers do their best to manually adjust the controllers to the weather conditions, but as with many weather-related endeavors, it is an imperfect process.
- All irrigation is turned off during the winter months. Usually mid to late October - mid to late March.
- Tips to conserve water both inside and outside the home can be found at Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency. Homeowners who’d like to reduce their water use with native plants, can see approved California Native Sod options on our Lawns page, and find resources for other drought tolerant plants on our Planting Beds page.
Irrigation Repairs: Our irrigation system consist of thousands of components - timers, controllers, valves, pipes and sprinkler heads - that require constant attention and repairs. If you see any water bills that might indicate a leak, or see any coverage issues such as soggy areas, dry patches, or broken sprinkler heads, please let the Community Manager know as soon as possible. Please include the exact address and location, and include a photo if possible, to help the landscapers identify the issue.
Irrigation Adjustments: Kentfield Commons is unique in it's set up. Instead of paying for both common area and front yard irrigation with higher monthly HOA dues that spread the summer irrigation cost over the entire year as is done in many HOAs, homeowners in Kentfield Commons pay for their individual front yard irrigation on their own separate utility bills. This provides homeowners with some more information and flexibility, but creates some unique challenges. If you would like your irrigation schedule adjusted up or down from the standard irrigation schedule outlined above, contact the Association Manager.
The landscapers can assist you with repairs and adjustments. Please note:
Irrigation Upgrades: Individual irrigation upgrades are beyond the scope of our landscape maintenance contract. If you'd like to enhance your front yard, please review the Landscape Renovation information online. The approval process ensures that your landscaping is compatible with our irrigation system, and protects you (and future homeowners) from being asked to fix problems after the installation. See Landscape Renovations.
Irrigation Adjustments: Kentfield Commons is unique in it's set up. Instead of paying for both common area and front yard irrigation with higher monthly HOA dues that spread the summer irrigation cost over the entire year as is done in many HOAs, homeowners in Kentfield Commons pay for their individual front yard irrigation on their own separate utility bills. This provides homeowners with some more information and flexibility, but creates some unique challenges. If you would like your irrigation schedule adjusted up or down from the standard irrigation schedule outlined above, contact the Association Manager.
The landscapers can assist you with repairs and adjustments. Please note:
- It make take some time to troubleshoot, fix, or adjust the irrigation on your front lawn. In order to maintain adequate water pressure within the community, each home is on a slightly different irrigation schedule. And after 30+ years of use and repairs from various vendors over the years, some irrigation lines are no longer labeled or consecutive. Please work with the landscapers to troubleshoot irrigation issues.
- Redwood City's "My Water Use" feature is a helpful tool which allows homeowners to see their daily and hourly water use. Only homeowners have access to this information, so it is helpful for homeowners to monitor and share this data with the Community Manager and the landscapers.
- Water bills reflect your usage from 60 days ago. Please monitor your daily water use in the days immediately following any irrigation work to make sure that the repairs or adjustments are resolved to your satisfaction. This helps homeowners identify issues right away, and reduces their risk of incurring additional charges from ongoing leaks and any other unresolved issues.
- The landscapers will try their best to adjust the irrigation on your lawn to your preferences, however they must work within the limitations of the controllers. Each controller controls the irrigation schedules for 6-15 homes (depending on the number of homes on your street). And each controller can only accommodate 4 different schedules: one for the Standard Lawn and Trees Schedule, one for the Standard Planting Bed Schedule, plus two more.
Irrigation Upgrades: Individual irrigation upgrades are beyond the scope of our landscape maintenance contract. If you'd like to enhance your front yard, please review the Landscape Renovation information online. The approval process ensures that your landscaping is compatible with our irrigation system, and protects you (and future homeowners) from being asked to fix problems after the installation. See Landscape Renovations.