The municipality of Cavaillon wanted to modernize its irrigation infrastructure in several green spaces, with the aim of reducing the number of controllers and centralizing watering operations. The goal was clear: to replace obsolete controllers and unify the city's irrigation management under a single cloud-based solution: the Hydrawise® irrigation management platform.
Nestled in the heart of the Luberon in southeastern France, Cavaillon is renowned for its vibrant markets, historic architecture, and status as the French melon capital. With more than 25,000 inhabitants, it is the fourth largest municipality in the Vaucluse department and a key part of the Luberon Regional Nature Park. Its public green spaces, maintained by a dedicated team of 10 municipal workers, are an essential part of the city's environmental and cultural identity.
Unifying the town's irrigation management under a single cloud-based solution
Place Duclos, once dominated by hardscaping, has been modernized with the creation of new parking spaces and an exclusively landscaped area (trees were planted, a beautiful lawn area was created, etc.). The square has been completely redesigned, as has its watering system.
The decoder system was very old, and there were no fewer than 15 battery-powered controllers from different brands! In addition, laying new communication cables proved impossible in several areas undergoing urban renewal.
Hunter Industries then offered the municipality a forward-looking solution: the Wireless Valve Link (WVL) combined with the HCC controller.
From 15 controllers previously, there are now only 3. And unlike wired systems, WVL uses LoRa® wireless communication to connect valves to the controller, eliminating the need for trenching or cable pulling. This convenient and cost-effective solution enabled rapid deployment and a smooth transition to the new system, easily overcoming the unique challenges of the complex urban terrain.
The 3,000 m² Place François Tourelle was also connected to the Hydrawise system. The square is adorned with lawns, flower beds, perennials, and trees, watered with various systems installed over time: sprinklers, underground drip irrigation, and drip irrigation. The irrigation system has not been touched.
The canal water used for irrigation undergoes Amiad-type backwash filtration. The system is equipped with a meter that takes regular readings and reports water consumption in real time.
The Cavaillon teams can now access irrigation data and programming in real time, wherever they are, via the Hydrawise app, ensuring increased efficiency and substantial water savings without frequent site visits.
Another advantage of the WVL system is that it is possible to expand the irrigation system by connecting new valves, up to a maximum of 54 valves. This is fortunate, as the city is currently restoring the market halls near the church. They have received permission to install the WVL on the roof of the church and three additional controllers will be installed.
Outside the city, the lawns along the road from the highway to the city center are also watered, and this area has also been switched to the Hydrawise Cloud with four connected modular HCC controllers, which can be managed from municipal employees' smartphones.
The result
In Cavaillon, two highly dedicated individuals are responsible for watering and managing no less than 50 hectares, which would be absolutely impossible without the assistance of the centralized management system. According to Emilien Estre, irrigation manager at Cavaillon City Hall, “We receive real-time flow reports. If there are any faults, we are immediately notified on our phones and computers.” This powerful combination of products now contributes to a smart, scalable, user-friendly, wireless, and remotely managed irrigation network.
As a result, municipal teams are already preparing to implement new landscaped areas, confident that they can easily expand irrigation coverage without disrupting infrastructure. This transformation is a valuable testament to how advanced irrigation technologies can streamline maintenance, reduce operating costs, and improve sustainability in urban environments.
Crédit photo : Hunter
