Abstract:Water distribution, discharge-pressure relation and rotation nonuniformity of pop-up sprinklers during application of reclaimed sewage effluent and groundwater were tested to investigate the effects of water quality on sprinkler performance. The overlapped sprinkler uniformity coefficients were also determined from the radial water distribution of an individual sprinkler. Three types of pop-up sprinklers, DPX-HP sprinkler, DPX-TS sprinkler (recordable angle adjusting) and Toro V-1550 sprinkler, were used and sprinkler performance were measured after the operation of 447h for both sewage effluent and groundwater application. A significant influence of water quality on sprinkler performance was found. Sewage effluent application resulted in 3.4%~4.7% and 2.7%~9.0% reduction in sprinkler discharge and coverage radius, respectively; while sprinklers applying groundwater produced a 0.03%~0.09% reduction in discharge and a 2.5%~3.9% reduction in radius. Sprinkler rotation nonuniformity, represented by a maximum rotation deviation, increased after a continuously operation of 447h, but no significant influence of water quality on the rotation nonuniformity was observed. The influence of water quality on Christiansen uniformity coefficient (CU) was also insignificant.