Is an audit worth it for a small yard?

Often, because outdoor watering is usually the largest share of household use in the desert. Even a few stations can hide a seeping valve or a station running summer minutes in winter. An audit also gives a baseline for comparing water use after repairs.

Irrigation System Efficiency Audit

Measure how each station performs and where water is lost, then rank the fixes by what they save.

Request an estimate(623) 292-2515

Where the water bill really goes

The City of Surprise water conservation page puts residential outdoor use in the Phoenix area at up to 70 percent of the total, and its HOA page says landscape irrigation can account for 90 percent or more of common-area water. In a Surprise household, the sprinkler and drip system is usually the biggest lever on the bill. An audit measures that lever before anyone buys equipment, so the money goes to the faults that waste the most water.

The city takes audits seriously enough to teach them. It promotes the Qualified Water Efficient Landscaping course, a no-cost program that meets EPA WaterSense professional standards for irrigation system audits and includes a hands-on audit, and its water-wise workshop calendar has included sessions on irrigation efficiency and on maintenance, troubleshooting and repair.

What an audit measures

Every station is inventoried: what it waters, how many heads or emitters, what type, how long it runs. Each is run and checked for leaks, broken or tilted heads, misting, overspray and dry gaps. Catch cups show how evenly spray zones land water; a probe at the canopy edge shows how deep drip zones reach compared with the city's targets of about 24 to 36 inches for trees and 18 to 24 for shrubs. The meter is read with every station off to rule out a constant leak, and City of Surprise customers can compare the result with their WaterSmart usage history.

The output is a ranked list. Leaks and valves that will not close come first because they waste water all day. Coverage faults and overspray come next, since they force long runtimes and count as waste under the city code when water reaches paving. Then the program, matched to the city's seasonal table. Upgrades such as rebate-eligible rotary nozzles or a weather-based controller come last. Related pages: irrigation leak detection and smart and Wi-Fi irrigation controllers.

Source: City of Surprise, Water Conservation, Checked Oct 1, 2026