The CITY of hercules (CITY), located in western contra costa county, california, will upgrademanual irrigation controllers in CITY parks to cloud-based controllers

The City of Hercules received a $247,500 Project Grant award dated July 16, 2025, from the Bureau of Reclamation under the WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow) program (CFDA 15.507) to upgrade manual irrigation controllers in municipal parks to cloud-based control systems. The upgraded system integrates real-time weather station data and soil moisture monitoring through an algorithm-driven platform that optimizes irrigation scheduling and provides comprehensive water use data to city staff. This infrastructure enhancement enables precise water application based on environmental conditions, significantly improving municipal water management efficiency and supporting the city's environmental sustainability objectives.

The project is scheduled for completion by September 30, 2026, and represents a key initiative aligned with the City of Hercules' Environmental Sustainability Plan. By transitioning from manual to automated, weather-responsive irrigation management, the city will achieve improved water conservation and resource stewardship while maintaining landscape quality in its public parks. The WaterSMART program's competitive, merit-based funding supports such water efficiency improvements across western United States jurisdictions, with awards typically requiring non-federal cost-share contributions from recipients.

The new controllers will betied into a weather station and soil moisture that will manage irrigation demands through analgorithm and provide water use data to CITY staff. These irrigation system upgrades willimprove water management, delivering water more precisely based on real-time weather dataand soil moisture levels, ensuring optimal water use. The project is a key initiative identified inthe citys environmental sustainability plan to enhance water efficiency and sustainability.