Since 1983, McNeil Engineering has been committed to providing our clients and ultimately the community with professional consulting services. Most recently, due to our drought and arid climates along the Wasatch Front we have seen the need for water conservation and the demand for quality water management services. In an effort to fill this need, beginning the spring of 2013 McNeil Engineering’s Landscape Architecture division created a pilot program to begin offering water management services to a select few of our existing clientele.
McNeil Engineering’s Principal Landscape Architect, Scott “Skip” Schoonover, has over twenty-five (25) years of professional experience in the landscape irrigation industry and our team has become one of Utah’s most recognizable and sought after professional landscape irrigation consultants. As a proud member of the Irrigation Association and the American Society of Landscape Architects Water Conservation Professional Practice Network, we are committed to the conservation and efficient use of one of earth’s most valuable resources….water.
Based on our experience, we have come to realize that a vast majority of the current issues affecting many properties (not including water costs) can all be attributed to the mismanagement of landscape irrigation water and can ultimately lead to costly repairs and replacements. Some of these issues include damage to parking lots and walkways, damage to building facades and foundations, damage to retaining walls and fences, overall plant health and appearance, surface run-off and moisture problems, and killing plant material and lawns. We are offering this service not only as an attempt to conserve a valuable resource, but to reduce overall costs in regards to water bills, plant replacement, paving repair, etc.
Working with three property managers within the Salt Lake Valley, McNeil Engineering created a program that allowed us to manage their landscape irrigation systems throughout the 2013 season on thirty-two (32) separate properties. The outcome was very positive and resulted in an average savings of twenty-six percent (26%) overall and as much as fifty percent (50%) on several of the properties. The overall savings equated to a staggering 18,000,000 gallons of water and over $35,000 in water costs. Keep in mind, this does not account for the savings that should be seen due to the minimization of damage to existing site improvements. These savings not only paid for the water management services, but ultimately put money back into the client’s operating budgets.
As water management professionals, we can offer solutions to maximize water savings and overall benefits to protect the integrity of the properties and the expense of future maintenance. If you are interested and would like to speak to us further about the benefits and costs associated with performing these services please don’t hesitate to contact us.