Broken sprinkler in this location was identified and replaced last week. Multiple other zones in vicinity also checked. Water budgeting for controllers across the board…were increased as a response to excessively dry complaints. As a response to repairs made/fairly significant rainfall….in addition to the question posed in this ticket…water budgeting was decreased to what is hopefully now that goldilocks point. Excess runoff is often, unfortunately, a combination of several factors beyond just overwatering. Those include sloping terrain, soil type, shade vs sun, poor design. Whereas the runoff is directly attributable to a broken sprinkler/line, incorrectly sized nozzles in sprinklers, or controller programmed runtime, we have and will continue to take steps to mitigate the issue. Regarding sprinklers on in the heat of the day….this relates to the aforementioned poor design…ie too many zones per controller, insufficiently sized backflows/mainlines/control valves. Operating more than one zone (per program) to help tighten up a watering window (for exclusive nighttime operation) results in insufficient water pressure/volume to even get the sprinklers to pop up….much less perform optimally. This is a common refrain among the vast majority of residential sprinkler systems (in the foolheartedly plan to save money initially). The result is the necessity of running zones well into the daylight hours….in order to deliver the commensurate landscape beautification expected (in a semi arid environment). You COULD run each zone for 50% less time…and run them virtually every night. But this results in poor root growth, possibility of fungus related diseases, and a general perception of…ironically…excess watering. This response is not an excuse…rather it is intended to provide “real time” context for the question put forth. To correct this fundamental blunder of irrigation design properly, it most likely would require wholesale, costly changes….from the ground up. In lieu of that…we do what we can do. – Mark

Addendum…On the programs for the controllers, there are already zones split up to run on alternate nights throughout the week. Otherwise the daytime running issue would be much worse. The conveyance of the original reply did not clarify that point. -Mark