Irrigation Association

The Irrigation Association (IA) is a membership organization, founded in 1949, that includes over 2,000 irrigation companies and professionals in agriculture, landscape and golf.

Irrigation Association logo

Irrigation Association logo

Headquartered in Falls Church, VA, IA promotes efficient irrigation technologies, products and services in an effort to ensure water is available for irrigation for future generations. Members can include irrigation equipment and system manufacturers, dealers, distributors, designers, consultants, contractors, educators, government entities, technical members, water providers and end users.

IA serves its members and the irrigation industry by:

• Educating the public on sound practices and water management.
• Serving as a centralized clearing house for research and innovation.
• Improving industry proficiency through continuing education.
• Recognizing and promoting experience and excellence with professional certification.
• Lending expertise to water-use public policy at the local, state, regional and national level.
• Defining best practices for effective water management.
• Establishing benchmarks and guidelines for irrigation products and applications.
• Promoting efficient irrigation technology and practices.
• Defining sound policies to ensure the availability, quality and conservation of water supplies.

Common Interest Groups

Common Interest Groups are forums for members to discuss common challenges related to a specific irrigation technology, specialty or end-use market.

• Agricultural Irrigation: focused on informing the public about the importance of agricultural irrigation, helping the agricultural irrigation community become better stewards of our natural resources and enhancing the public image of irrigated agriculture.
• Center Pivot/Lateral Move: focused on focused on promoting the use and acceptance of center pivot and lateral move products through marketing and advertising.
• Contractor: focused on enhancing the professionalism and reputation of irrigation contractors, influencing legislation and developing business standard best practices.
• Designer: focused on issues pertaining to irrigation design .
• Drip/Micro Irrigation: focused on promoting the use of drip and microirrigation as an efficient method of irrigation.
• Manufacturers' Representatives: focused on promoting professionalism within the ranks of independent irrigation manufacturers’ representatives, advocating independent representatives to manufacturers and helping manufacturers in the selection process and encouraging sound irrigation practices at all levels of the industry.
• Nursery & Greenhouse: focused on fostering an ethic of efficient irrigation and water use within the nursery and floriculture industries.
• Turf & Landscape: focused on identifying best practices in landscape and irrigation design, promoting landscape water-use efficiency through education, certification and membership in related professional organizations and facilitating turfgrass issue discussions.

Certification

Since 1983, IA has offered training courses and education classes through its Select Certified program. Certification programs include:

• Certified Irrigation Designer (CID)
• Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor (CLIA)
• Certified Golf Irrigation Auditor (CGIA)
• Certified Landscape Water Manager (CLWM)
• Certified Agricultural Irrigation Specialist (CAIS)
• Certified Agricultural Water Manager (CAWM)

IA-certified irrigation contractors, landscape/turf irrigation designers, and golf and landscape irrigation auditors qualify to become EPA WaterSense partners.

Certified irrigation designers with a specialty in sprinkler, surface or drip-micro qualify to become Technical Service Providers for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects through the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

In September 2010, IA began offering computer based testing for certification exams to advance its long-term goal of accreditation by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies.

Smart Irrigation Month

Smart Irrigation Month is a campaign by the Irrigation Association to increase public awareness of the value of water-use efficiency and grow demand for water-saving products, practices and services. Focused on July, traditionally the month of peak demand in North America, the campaign is designed to:

• Educate homeowners, businesses, growers and other users about simple ways to save money and water.
• Encourage industry firms and professionals to promote smart irrigation practices and technologies to customers.
• Help water providers minimize peak water use and reduce demands on infrastructure in their communities.
• Reinforce the role efficient irrigation plays in providing real solutions to today’s water challenges.

Representative John Linder (R-GA) introduced H.Con.Res.118C: "Supporting the goals of Smart Irrigation Month, which recognizes the advances in irrigation technology and practices that help raise healthy plants and increase crop yields while using water resources more efficiently and encourages the adoption of smart irrigation practices throughout the United States to further improve water-use efficiency in agricultural, residential, and commercial activities."

External links

• Irrigation Association web site [1]