Twin Cities

By Derek James

August 11, 2023 / 6:05 PM / CBS Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS -- Saving water is crucial, even in the land of 10,000 lakes.

The EPA estimates that as much as 50% of water used outdoors is wasted through a combination of evaporation, wind, and poor irrigation methods. But a Twin Cities-born irrigation system is designed to save tens of thousands of gallons of water a year.

The sprinklers are based on ink jet printers. It was an idea that began to develop over a decade ago in Gary Klinefelter's backyard in Eden Prairie.

"Our founder was in his own backyard lugging hoses. He worked in the ink jet printing industry. And so that really had that 'aha' moment to say 'hmm, there has to be a more precise way to water,'" said Laura McRoberts of Irrigreen.

The system went through several prototypes through the years before landing at the modern model. McRoberts says it has a all-digital sprinkler head with 14 unique streams at the top of the nozzle.

The efficiency comes from the precision of the spray that is set to the exact shape of the watering area via a wifi app and the fact that water streams don't overlap.

Michael Eicher in Brooklyn Park once had 41 heads on his property, but with Irrigreen, he only has 12. Irrigreen estimates that in total, it's still about 20% more expensive than a traditional system, but the savings come over time from using less water.

"The amount of water that we're using on the yard is probably, I'd say, 30-40% less than what we were using," Eicher said. He estimates that it'll only take two to three years before those savings are realized.

After receiving $15 million in seed funding, Irrigreen launched an e-commerce platform this week. Customers will now be able to purchase products online in pre-packaged bundles, or through a custom lawn mapping tool.

Derek James anchors Saturday and Sunday evening newscasts and contributes stories during the week on "The 4."

First published on August 11, 2023 / 6:05 PM

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