Free on-site Mobile Labservices are available to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo County growers and landscape managers. The Mobile Irrigation Lab is staffed by trained professionals from the Cachuma Resource Conservation District (RCD). Irrigation evaluations use standard procedures developed by California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo and the California Department of Water Resources. Over 800 evaluations have been performed on over 70,000 acres.
To schedule a turf or agricultural evaluation, call the Cachuma Resource Conservation District at (805) 928-9269, x. 106.
The Evaluation
The Cachuma RCD's Mobile Irrigation Lab comes right to your property. All you need to provide,
if possible, is a layout of your irrigation system and information on your
irrigation schedule. We provide:
- Distribution Uniformity (DU): Sprinkler application rates, pressures, and flow are measured.
- Sprinkler Inspection: Proper sizing and operation are evaluated.
- Soil Survey: The soil type, depth, and texture are identified to determine water holding capacity.
- Controller Settings: Your irrigation schedule is compared to actual water requirements, and seasonal controller settings are recommended.
You will receive recommendations on system design, operation, and maintenance, including a projection of potential savings that could result from implementing recommendations.
Who Participates 
- School playing fields
- Parks and open space areas
- Homeowners associations
- Condominiums
- Large commercial landscapes
- Agricultural water users
- City and County landscaping
- Large residential landscapes
- Golf courses
- Cemeteries
Benefits of the Program
The Cachuma Resource Conservation District offers free irrigation system evaluations to turf
irrigators, evaluating systems individually and making recommendations to improve performance.
Participation in this program is voluntary and all evaluation results are confidential.
By applying the proper amount of water, you may be able to:
- Improve turf quality
- Reduce bacterial and fungal diseases
- Lower pesticide and fertilizer costs
- Reduce water usage and loss
- Decrease pollution
- Decrease leaching of plant nutrients
- Save money by reducing water and energy usage
Rebates Available for Irrigation System Improvements
To assist you in making irrigation system improvements, the RCD is now providing rebates of up to $1,000 per property as matching funds toward your total costs for irrigation equipment if recommended as part of RCD's free site evaluation. Eligible rebate applications will meet the following criteria:
- Irrigation system waters 1/2 acre or more
- Customer is served with water by a participating water provider (call for a list of providers)
- Customer must have a water account designation of commercial, industrial, institutional or multi-family housing (single residential properties are not eligible)
- Irrigation equipment pruchase intended for rebate dollars must be approved by Irrigation Specialist at Cachuma Resource Conservation District
- Irrigation equipment purchase intended for rebate dollars must be matched by customer purchase dollar for dollar
- Matching rebate dollars will not exceed $1,000 per customer per site ($500 maximum per irrigation controller)
- Recycled water sites are not eligible
- Rebate dollars are contingent permission for the Cachuma Resource Conservation District to revisit the site after installation of irrigation equipment is complete for a follow-up
- Application must be filled out completely with receipts provided. Imcomplete applications will be returned to the customer
- Irrigation purchases must be made between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2009
- Applications must be filed before December 31, 2009
Contact Information
To schedule a turf evaluation, call the Cachuma Resource Conservation District at (805) 928-9269, x. 106.