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Committee flags pressurized irrigation water quality as key barrier to tree survival
Summary
Members and staff said pressurized irrigation (PI) water carries salts and alkalinity that harm newly planted trees; high summer temperatures and plugged irrigation heads also reduce survival, prompting a recommendation to delay large plantings until conditions improve.
Staff described persistent water-quality problems in parts of the city that use pressurized irrigation (PI). They said PI water brings salts and high alkalinity that damage young trees, and that filter and head-clogging problems can leave trees without water.
Members cited examples of repeated plant failures and said some neighborhoods that use culinary water or supplemental flushing with culinary water see better tree survival. Given those problems, staff recommended scheduling major plantings for early spring when irrigation water and establishment conditions are more favorable.
