Joke Water Garden
Walt Disney World Resort

Rain Bird and the Walt Disney World Resort have a long history as a team working toward water management and conservation. So after saving so much water, why not have a little fun with it? This is exactly the idea Disney had in mind when they approached Rain Bird representatives with the irrigation challenge of developing a Joke Water Garden for the 1996 International Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot in Orlando, Florida.

In the spring of 1996, Katy Moss Warner, Director of Disney Horticulture and Environmental Initiatives was approached by Rain Bird commercial marketing staff and Bill Tullos, Eastern Region Maxicom Specialist, with the concept of developing a system that would "irrigate people" during the 1996 Festival.

"Katy got the idea from her visits to Europe. She told us that property owners in Italy installed water jets in the landscape to spray guests as they walked into the gardens," recalls Tullos.

Joke's on You

The Joke Water Garden officially opened on April 19th as part of the festival and certainly delighted hundreds of unsuspecting visitors. The area chosen for the garden was strategically located at the entrance of the Italy Pavilion, in front of the chocolate shop where it was sure to get a lot of foot-traffic and attention!

The beautiful garden area consists of large clay pots containing colorful flowers and lush plant material secretly armed with Rain Bird Xeri-Spray nozzles that squirt short low volume streams of water at unsuspecting pedestrians. This picturesque setting provides an ideal photo opportunity for guests and lures them near the plants. The Joke Water Garden's water spraying system consists of a variety of hidden Rain Bird Xerigation® emitters and bubblers precisely controlled by Disney's flexible Maxicom® central control.

Scott Girard, Disney's General Manager for Landscape Operations came up with the winning concept of short, random squirts of water to make the "joke" effect complete. "It was great!" recalls Craig Hutchinson, Area Manager for Disney Horticulture. "Watching the kids and adults try to figure out the timing and sequence of the water was a lot of fun for us, too. Maxicom allows us to shorten the programs two seconds, one second, or maybe even just one quarter of a second apart to keep the spray of the water jets virtually unpredictable."

Xerigation and Maxicom Team Up

"Scott knew that each squirt had to be quick and precise or the `gag' would not work," Craig emphasized. "The Maxicom system's flexibility combined with the right valves and a properly designed Xerigation system made the project a great success."

A three foot terra-cotta frog set back between two large planters squirts streams of water from its nose and mouth giving the amphibian prankster a life like quality that one could only expect to end at the Disney World Resort. This project not only provides a surprise and a smile for guests, but uses very little water, too.

The installation of the Xerigation equipment and coordination with the Maxicom Central Control System took about four days and was orchestrated by Maxicom Specialist, Bill Tullos. "Our biggest challenge was finding a water source," Bill recalls. "We used heavy polyethylene pipe, and ran it out a gable on the roof and along the rain gutter to a downspout to reach the ground. A multi-strand cable followed the poly pipe down to the ground for control of the six 24-volt remote
valves."

Ironically, what seemed to be an inconvenient location for a water source actually offered Craig and Bill easy access to electrical power and space to house the system's controls. Since the volume of water needed for this Xerigation system was low, 3/8" brass valves were used because they open and close quickly.

Key: Flexibility of Xerigation

"It was amazing what we were able to do with the flexibility of the Xerigation products," recalls Craig. "We removed the expansion material in the walkways and embedded vertical jets! We created streams of water that formed arches over the wheelchair access walkways by putting jets in aquatic planters nearby."

Though the Joke Water Garden was removed after the flower and garden festival, Disney executives plan to bring it back next year and to extend the system. Disney Horticulture manager for Epcot, Ben Brogden, plans to make the Xerigation system permanent and use it to irrigate the potted plant material which is currently all watered by hand.

Long Partnership

Rain Bird is no stranger to the realm of Walt Disney World. Katy refers to it as "a great partnering relationship." The Epcot irrigation is controlled by the same Maxicom central control system that is currently used throughout the Walt Disney World Resort property.

For the past three years Rain Bird has been an official supporter and contributor to the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. This festival has provided a rare opportunity for Rain Bird to showcase products working in unique applications. Since 1933, Rain Bird has been committed to solving irrigation challenges and conserving water resources through the production of reliable, efficient, and flexble irrigation products.

"While it may seem that our involvement in The Joke Water Garden's unorthodox application of irrigation technology is contradictory to our commitment to water conservation, " says Bill, "it is actually in keeping with the Rain Bird's corporate values." Not only does the Joke Water Garden provide an opportunity for Rain Bird to demonstrate its concern for providing America's youth with positive life experiences, "but it is also a clear indication that the worldwide irrigation leader has not lost its sense of humor!"