EPIC System

The EPIC System uses the properties of capillary attraction to provide a system of sub-surface irrigation and drainage. This irrigation system consumes 50% - 85% less water than traditional surface or drip irrigation systems. It absorbs natural run-off and effluents, storing it for later re-use use in the system.

Any stormwater surge or runoff is retained and held in the system for re-use or slowly released in a controlled manner. The EPIC System can be incorporated in sustainable designs where not only precipitation, but also grey water may be used for irrigation. This significantly reduces, and in some cases eliminates, the need for any fresh water source in irrigation.


Here the EPIC chamber is shown with its accompanying pan. For large, uniform elevation projects, individual pans are replaced by site-built cells made from EPDM material.

From an analytical perspective, the EPIC system consists of three distinct elements that are combined to work together--the liner pan, the EPIC chamber, and the sand fill that covers and surrounds the first two components. The only moving part in the system is water that is controlled by gravity and capillary physics to travel throughout the system in a predetermined order. The largest component of the system is sand, and we can begin by analyzing this item.

Growing grass in a sand matrix is as "old as dirt". Damp sand and grass are a natural combination like peanut butter and jelly. A large example would be the entire state of Florida. In modern deliberate applications the "California Green" (12" of washed sand over a drainage pipe) has been the sought after standard in the golf industry for the last 35 years. The inherent problem with well drained sand based greens is that irrigation water applied at the surface just kept going and a high water demand ensued to keep the sand moist for grass to grow. The purpose of the liner pan provided by EPIC is to simply provide a barrier to catch and retain water. Polyethylene and EPDM liners have been successfully used for over 30 years as pond liners, and as groundwater protection barriers in hazardous waste landfills. Their durability for that purpose is unquestioned; as such the logical choice for this EPIC function.

That leaves the third component in the EPIC system of the chamber itself. By design it has no moving parts, but simply by strategic placement of holes, controls how water flows through and out of the chamber. Water flow becomes a natural function of gravity between the units. Upward water flow to create the ideal capillary rise is a natural physical law of nature as reliable as gravity. The durable chambers themselves are injection molded to proven designs similar to pipe used in the mining industry for years to withstand the pressures of 20' of overburden, and as support structures as driveway culverts. Once surrounded by sand, the EPIC field is as durable as any sand-based field.

As such with a logical analysis the individual concepts incorporated by the EPIC design are tried and true with a long history of reliability and desirability. EPIC has only combined and controlled the desired features in a unique arrangement of innovative parts to make everything work together. That is what is new!