The Antioch/Oakley Regional Shoreline park displays a sign announcing their water conservation efforts at the park on September 18, 2014. Photo courtesy Department of Water Resources.
A startup business formed by UC Davis researchers hopes to save California farmers water in the midst of the state’s fourth consecutive year of drought.
Tule, based in San Francisco, provides technology to measure data called actual evapotranspiration (ET) over a 1 to 10 acre area. Actual ET measures how much water is lost from the field to the atmosphere; since the sensors from Tule can measure the ET right around the crops, rather than a rough estimate from a local station, company CEO Tom Shapland hopes it can help farmers be more efficient and reduce their costs.
"Irrigation is the most important decision a farmer makes,"Shapland told the UC Davis Office of Research. "Irrigation, more than any other factor, is going to influence how much yield —how much produce —they get from their field and the quality of that produce." Read more about Tule here.
Businesses like Tule that help Californians be more water efficient have become increasingly relevant as the drought has dragged on. This week the State Water Resources Control Board adopted an expanded emergency regulation building upon rules last summer. As of March 17, Californians may no longer wash down sidewalks and driveways, water outdoor landscapes in a way that causes runoff, or irrigate turf. Additionally, restaurants can only serve water to customers upon request and hotels must provide guests with the option of not having towels and linens laundered daily.
Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature’s top leaders are expected to unveil emergency drought legislation at the State Capitol today.
