The device consists of two parts, an interface board and a modem. When attached, Aqua Connect™ links the controller to the internet and allows programming through any web-enabled computer, laptop, iPad or cell phone. The product is designed to bypass the system’s CCUs and communicates over a GPRS modem, so no phone lines or radio communication are needed. The software is built into the system through Aqua Management’s server, so there is no need to purchase additional product specific software. The product is designed to fit into Aqua Management’s service portfolio where there is no up-front cost for the equipment. Service is provided via a monthly service contract.

David Drake, founder and CEO of Aqua Management, said “as an engineering and service company we are constantly creating new products based on demand. Our goal is to be the leader in the irrigation industry in service. The first step to being a leader in service is developing user friendly, cost effective products that overcome existing challenges and provide the user real solutions. Aqua Connect™ is in line with our company’s goals and our customers’ needs”, Drake added.

Aqua Connect™ connects quickly and easily to existing Rainbird ESP-MC controllers. The directions are simple; remove the existing interface panel, unplug the ribbon cable, plug in the Aqua Connect™ panel and the controller is now on-line.

“Our goal was to create a low cost, simple solution for our customers”, Drake said. “A huge percent of smart irrigation systems in the field are underutilized because of communication or design issues. We did not want to continue the trend of product driven solutions. Our goal was to create an intuitive solution, utilizing the existing hardware, and bringing these controllers on-line where they can now be centrally and remotely managed. Our motto is ‘service driven technology’, and that is exactly what we have accomplished with Aqua Connect™”, Drake added.

Aqua Connect™ is now available directly through Aqua Management, Inc. or through select resellers nationwide.

For more details, call 702-478-9700 or visit www.aquamanagement.com.

About Aqua Management
Las Vegas-based Aqua Management uses cutting-edge technology and superior service to create customized solutions that help its customers manage and conserve water. The smart controllers developed and serviced by Aqua Management regulate watering of plants and lawns based on various factors such as humidity, temperature and soil conditions. This maintains landscaping while saving water and money. For more information, visit www.aquamanagement.com.

The residential controller is a high tech irrigation clock used for watering outdoors (Toro 424-E with Aqua Technology).  Aqua Management’s technology allows this irrigation controller to self adjust to local weather conditions and is programmable remotely through the internet. These technological advances mean that a homeowner can reduce their outdoor water use by an average of 20-30% or more.

David Drake, CEO and founder of Aqua Management said, “smart irrigation technology had been available for years, however it has really only been used for commercial and multi-use properties. Demand from the market led us to create a low cost solution for the residential customer. I figured if businesses were looking to save water and money that the average homeowner would want to do the same thing.”

The rebate from the SNWA cuts the equipment cost in half for the homeowner.

“We are thankful to the SNWA for approving our product for this rebate. We know that the more affordable you make this technology the more people will implement it”, Drake said. “People want to do the right thing by saving water today, and if they can save money on their water bills at the same time it’s a win/win situation.”

Drake added, “Aqua Management is a service company first and foremost, so our goal is to provide a low cost service with the controller to make it easy for people to use. You can program these controllers from our website, call your landscaper, or call our 800 #. Once they are programmed our technology takes over and they self adjust to weather conditions. This, in conjunction with the programming, is where the overall savings comes in. The SNWA likes these controllers because they will automatically adjust to the seasonal watering day restrictions we have here in Southern Nevada”.

For more information on the SNWA rebate you may visit http://www.snwa.com/html/cons_coupons_smartclock_retailers.html

For more details, call 702-478-9700 or visit www.aquamanagement.com.

About Aqua Management
Las Vegas-based Aqua Management uses cutting-edge technology and superior service to create customized solutions that help its customers manage and conserve water. The smart controllers developed and serviced by Aqua Management regulate watering of plants and lawns based on various factors such as humidity, temperature and soil conditions. This maintains landscaping while saving water and money. For more information, visit www.aquamanagement.com.

By KEITH ROGERS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
For the time being, the Southern Nevada Water Authority will have to relinquish the water rights that the agency had obtained in four eastern Nevada valleys for a pipeline to Las Vegas, State Engineer Jason King said Wednesday.
The action stems from a June 17 opinion by the Nevada Supreme Court, he said. The court ruled the state engineer must re-notice the applications and reopen the protest period in the aftermath of a case that challenged the validity of the groundwater applications underpinning the multibillion-dollar project.

“We are just now letting the water world in Nevada know how we interpreted that decision,” King said late Wednesday from Carson City.
He issued a two-page response to inquiries received by his office after the Supreme Court ruling. The response said that “water rights issued to the Southern Nevada Water Authority under the 1989 applications in Spring Valley, Cave Valley, Dry Lake Valley and Delamar Valley will revert to application status.”
Southern Nevada Water Authority spokesman J.C. Davis said the state engineer’s response is consistent with the Supreme Court’s opinion “and is not unwelcome news.”
“In fact, it is what we asked of the high court because it resolves the issue in a way that is fair to both the applicants and the protestants,” Davis said. “Importantly, it does not invalidate our 1989 applications,” which had been filed by the authority’s sister agency, the Las Vegas Valley Water District.
King said he will re-notice the applications and hold hearings on them. He will have a year after the two-month protest period to make a decision on each of the district’s some 20 applications.
“We have a time crunch,” King said. “We will have to stagger the publication period for all the applications. If we were to do it all at one time, there is no way we could hold hearings in one year.”
White Pine County Commissioner Gary Perea, a critic of the pipeline project, could not be reached for comment Wednesday evening.
Perea had declared the Supreme Court’s ruling a victory because it reaffirmed that the state engineer needs to allow new protests for people who have come to eastern Nevada since 1989.
In 2003, with the district’s applications still pending, the Legislature passed a law that addressed that discrepancy by waiving the one-year rule for water sought for municipal use.
That triggered a lawsuit by Great Basin Water Network, Defenders of Wildlife, Trout Unlimited and 50 rural residents against then-State Engineer Tracy Taylor.
In January, the Supreme Court said the water district’s filings were too old in 2003 to be covered by such an exemption but stopped short of nullifying the applications and sent the matter back to the rural District Court.
The high court’s opinion last month reaffirmed that the only valid applications were those filed after 2002, which meant the state engineer had not ruled in time on the original applications.
King said permits were never issued to the water authority for a fifth eastern Nevada valley, Snake Valley, because they hinged on an agreement between Nevada and Utah that was put in limbo by the state Supreme Court case.
The permits, he said, fall under a category of applications filed after March 31, 1947, and protested before July 1, 2002, that haven’t been acted on and do not fall within exceptions waiving the one-year rule for water sought for municipal use.
Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308

D&K Landscape has 15 years experience in landscape design, construction and grounds management. The company is a leader in the industry and has received multiple awards from the NASLA (American Society of Landscape Architects), including an award of excellence for water-smart residential landscape design.

“Water is a precious commodity and D&K is proactive in helping the environment,” says Donnie Garritano, president and CEO of D&K Landscape, Inc. “As a landscape firm, it’s our responsibility to educate our customers about how to promote a flourishing environment, but to also to protect it,” says Garritano. “By implementing a water management program, our customers experience measurable cost savings and feel good about being environmentally-conscious.”

Aqua Management CEO David Drake, an engineer who founded the company, said that creating strategic partnerships is the best way to get the irrigation technology to the consumer.

“Educating the consumer on water and cost savings services is paramount in conserving water and the environment”, said Drake. “By designing systems for landscape companies such as D & K, customers can realize huge cost savings, usually 20-30% or more on their monthly water bills, have a lush and healthy landscape and protect the environment at the same time”.

The partnership with D & K Landscape further expands Aqua Management’s position in the market.

“Finding strategic partners is easy. Saving water and saving money is on everyone’s minds, especially in today’s economy”, Drake added. “Finding the right partners is the challenge. D&K shares our commitment to water conservation, and more importantly they share our vision of how to implement these systems. Getting the systems to the consumer is the key for long term conservation efforts. D&K brings the vision, the expertise in the field and a great team to the table to install these systems for their existing and new customers. It’s a win/win situation.”

“D&K Landscape is proud to partner with Aqua Management because of their reputation in the industry,” says Garritano. “They are innovative, service-driven and experts in water management. “

For more details, call 702-478-9700 or visit www.aquamanagement.com.

About Aqua Management
Las Vegas-based Aqua Management uses cutting-edge technology and superior service to create customized solutions that help its customers manage and conserve water. The smart controllers developed and serviced by Aqua Management regulate watering of plants and lawns based on various factors such as humidity, temperature and soil conditions. This maintains landscaping while saving water and money. For more information, visit www.aquamanagement.com.

About D&K Landscape
With 15 years experience providing design-build landscape construction services, as well as grounds management for quality commercial and residential projects throughout Las Vegas, D&K Landscape, Inc. has established its reputation as the premium, full service landscape contracting firm in the Vegas Valley. Specializing in seamless design, installation and maintenance of commercial properties, multi-family and private residences, D&K knows how to create a landscape that improves the overall experience of any outdoor location, including residential and commercial properties and outdoor leisure areas, such as parks and playgrounds. For more information, visit www.dklandscape.com.

David Drake, founder and CEO of Aqua Management said, “We are proud that Earth Day has gained such prominence in the past 40 years. It’s an important day for all of us to think about our impact on the environment.”

In the past year Aqua Management has saved over 250 million gallons of water for their customers through their water management technology and service. “By developing better technology, and putting that technology in the hands of the right people in the community, we have been able to achieve such great water conservation results. By providing constant training and support we have created a true win/win situation”, Drake said. “Without or partners, from the landscapers to the businesses and communities that use our services, we would not have been able to achieve these results. Our goal for 2010 is to save over 1 billion gallons of water”, Drake added.

Aqua Management would like to thank and recognize the following landscape maintenance companies as industry leaders in water management and their partners in water conservation; TruGreen Landcare, Jaramillo Landscape and Maintenance LLC, Valley Crest, Sunstate Companies, Groundskeeper, Par 3 and Integrated Landscape Management (ILM).

“Technology without service can be limited and we thank these landscapers for embracing our system, learning our system, and implementing our system for their customers”, Drake said. “It’s our planet, we all live here together. The more we work together and share our responsibilities and stewardship of the environment the better we can make our community and planet as a whole”.

For more details, call 702-478-9700 or visit www.aquamanagement.com.

About Aqua Management
Las Vegas-based Aqua Management uses cutting-edge technology and superior service to create customized solutions that help its customers manage and conserve water. The smart controller developed and serviced by Aqua Management regulate watering of plants and lawns based on various factors such as humidity, temperature and soil conditions. This maintains landscaping while saving water and money. For more information, visit www.aquamanagement.com.