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INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. .655
4PARrIFO January 18, 2005
r To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
Page 1 of 2
yara SUBJECT: Irrigation System at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden
Background
During the budget process, Council Member John Stevenson requested a report on the irrigation
system at the Botanic Garden, including a review of the cost of the system. This report provides
an overview of the system, need for replacement and the staffs effort to repair and renovate the
existing system. The current irrigation system does not allow the staff the flexibility to steward
water in a manner appropriate to its scarcity as a resource.
Discussion
Most of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden's irrigation system is over 40 years old. This system was
installed east of University Drive and connects to the Water Department's raw water line to the
Holly Water Treatment Plant. This system provides basic irrigation to the southeast portion of the
Botanic Garden including the Vistas, planting beds, the Rose Garden and the Rock Springs
Center. This raw water irrigation system has been expanded to cover the majority of the Garden.
Exceptions to this coverage include the area around the Garden Center, Conservatory and
production greenhouses, which are irrigated using potable water.
In preparation for the 2004 Capital Improvement Program, staff estimated that $600,000 in
renovations were needed to update and replace aging irrigation infrastructure. The Garden's
entire irrigation system needs to be automated and controlled by a central computer system, thus
enabling better management of the water source. The computer system will diagnose
malfunctions in the system ranging from breaks in the line to identifying irrigation heads controllers
and valves that are not functioning.
There are portions of the Botanic Garden that have received automated irrigation systems in the
last 15 years as new planting areas and gardens have been added. The irrigation system
proposed in the 2004 CIP process would provide for these automated irrigation systems to be
retrofitted and integrated into to the overall, automated irrigation system.
The Garden's irrigation needs were not included in the City's 2004 -2008 CIP bond package. In an
effort to seek alternate funding, staff submitted a phase irrigation improvement package totaling
$150,000 for FY 2004 -2007. The most critical needs were requested in the FY 2004 -05 budget at
$45,000 to address the replacement of the 40 -year old supply line under University Drive that has
pinhole leaks. This first year funding would also provide for an upgraded and automated system in
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8655
�,� January 18, 2005
Vol r To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
o Page 2 of 2
ss SUBJECT: Irrigation System at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden
the Rose Garden. Incremental funding of the irrigation system upgrade was not allocated in the
adopted FY 2004 -05 budget.
Staff continues to seek approximately $50,000 per year in the funding to implement a phased
approach to accomplish the needed $600,000 upgrade to the irrigation system. Once the irrigation
system is upgraded completely, staff anticipates at least a 35% saving in water costs in addition to
increased staff efficiency. A 35% savings in costs alone will generate an estimated annual savings
to the Botanic Garden of approximately $44,000 annually which would, over time, pay for the
needed improvements.
Unless City Council directs otherwise, this item will be considered again during the FY 2005 -2006
budget process. For additional information please contact Randle Harwood, Acting Director, Parks
and Community Services Department (817) 871 -5704 or Libby Watson, Assistant City Manager
(817) 392 -6183.
;/
Charles R. Boswell
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS