Professional Irrigation
Audits in Garland
Garland's clay soil demands more than guesswork. We measure your system's actual output with catch-can testing, calculate distribution uniformity per zone, and deliver a schedule built from data — not assumptions.
Source: City of Allen audit program, Ord. No. 2721-3-08
DU = Distribution Uniformity. Values above 0.65 are considered acceptable. Most spray zones on untested DFW systems score below 0.50.
Clay soil complication: Standard spray heads deliver water 4x faster than Garland clay absorbs it. Without an audit, most runtimes are set for how long it takes to visually satisfy the lawn — not for what the soil can actually hold.
Garland properties have four reasons
most systems fail the audit
Garland's clay soil is the core problem
Blackland Prairie clay absorbs water at roughly 0.2–0.4 inches per hour. Standard spray heads deliver 1.5+ inches per hour. That's a 4-to-1 mismatch — water hits the surface faster than the soil can take it in, sheets across the lawn, and drains away. Your system can be running perfectly and still leaving the root zone dry. An audit reveals exactly where this is happening and by how much.
Older systems drift from factory specs
A system installed in 2008 with heads adjusted once and never touched again is not running anything close to its original design. Heads tilt. Nozzles clog. Arcs drift. Pressure fluctuates. What you think is a 10-minute zone runtime delivering uniform coverage is often four zones worth of data across three zones worth of hardware.
NTMWD restrictions change what's allowed
Garland follows North Texas Municipal Water District twice-weekly watering rules: before 10 AM, odd addresses on Wednesday and Saturday, even addresses on Thursday and Sunday. Running a schedule that made sense three years ago may now be both wasteful and non-compliant. An audit locks in efficiency within the allowed window.
High summer bills often point to distribution problems, not zone count
Adding a watering day to fix dry spots usually means you're overwatering the zones that are working correctly while still missing the ones that aren't. The real problem is poor distribution uniformity. The audit shows you exactly which zones are underperforming and why, so you can fix the actual issue instead of throwing more water at the whole yard.
Allen's audit results prove what data-driven scheduling delivers
Source: City of Allen irrigation audit program — Ord. No. 2721-3-08 (enacted March 2008). Allen's commercial audit mandate requires all non-single-family properties to audit every 3 years. Garland residential properties aren't required to audit, but the efficiency gains are the same.
What Your Audit Includes
Every measurement follows Irrigation Association Recommended Audit Guidelines — the same standard used for commercial compliance audits.
Catch-Can Grid Testing
Small measuring cups placed across each zone collect real water output data. This is the Irrigation Association method — the same standard used for commercial compliance audits. No guessing, no estimates.
Precipitation Rate Measurement
We calculate exactly how many inches per hour each zone delivers. This number tells you whether your runtime matches what your soil can actually absorb — critical for Garland's clay.
Distribution Uniformity (DULQ)
DU measures how evenly water is spread across a zone. A DU below 0.50 means you're wasting significant water covering dry spots. Most unchecked DFW systems are far below this threshold.
Zone-by-Zone Efficiency Report
Every zone gets its own data: precipitation rate, DU score, head performance notes, and a recommended runtime built from the actual measurements — not factory defaults.
NTMWD Compliance Review
We cross-reference your current schedule against Garland's active water restrictions and NTMWD guidelines. If your system is running out of compliance, you'll know before the city does.
Optimized Watering Schedule
The audit concludes with a new controller schedule built from your actual data — correct runtimes per zone, cycle-and-soak where needed, and seasonal adjustment guidance.
Residential and Commercial Audits
Same certified methodology. Different goals and deliverables.
Homeowner Audit
You get a zone-by-zone report with actual precipitation rates and DU scores, plus a rewritten watering schedule. If your bills are high or your yard has dry spots despite adequate watering, this tells you exactly what's wrong.
- Full catch-can test — every zone
- Precipitation rate per zone (in/hr)
- Distribution uniformity score per zone
- Head-by-head inspection notes
- New controller schedule based on real data
- NTMWD compliance check included
Commercial Audit
For Allen, TX properties subject to the 3-year ordinance requirement, and for DFW commercial accounts managing landscape water costs across multiple irrigation zones or controllers.
- Audit follows IA Recommended Audit Guidelines
- Largest turfgrass zone tested per controller
- City of Allen Inspection Form completed (if applicable)
- Texas A&M certification copy on file for Allen submissions
- Pressure readings per zone
- Written report ready for records or submission
Brandon Surratt — the only auditor on-site, every time
This is a one-man operation. Every audit is performed by Brandon Surratt, not a sub-contracted technician. He holds the certifications, he places the catch cans, he writes the report.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a catch-can test and why does it matter in Garland?
Is an irrigation audit just for commercial properties?
How is an audit different from a regular sprinkler check?
What credentials does the auditor hold?
Stop estimating. Start measuring.
A Garland irrigation audit tells you exactly where your system is wasting water — and gives you a schedule built from real numbers. One visit. Real data. Better results.
Serving Garland and surrounding DFW areas · TCEQ LI0023963