Amninder Singh has been selected to receive a prestigious graduate fellowship from NWRI-SCSC.
Amninder was awarded for his proposal entitled "Using Smart Irrigation Technologies to Optimize Recycled Water Application for Turfgrass Irrigation to Conserve Water, Maintain Turf Quality, and Sustain Soil Health". Throughout his research, he will be also exploring the suitability of smart irrigation controllers to automatically implement irrigation best management practices when recycled water is used for irrigation. Use of smart irrigation controllers has demonstrated significant reductions in the use of water for irrigating landscapes in normal to humid weather conditions, where the primary focus is to prevent the over application of water when there has been a rainfall. On the other hand, research regarding the use of smart irrigation controllers in dry weather conditions like in southern California is lacking, where the objective is rather to apply minimum irrigation water while maintaining an acceptable quality of landscape.
"Funding for this fellowship is provided by SCSC (http://www.socalsalinity.org), a coalition of water and wastewater agencies that support research to address the critical need to remove or reduce salts from water supplies and to preserve water resources in Southern California. The award is administered by NWRI (www.nwri-usa.org), a joint powers authority and non-profit organization that works to advance innovative water resources management practices."