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If you're one of those people who has trouble programming your VCR, you're probably well aware that sometimes technology comes with horrible side effects.

In New Mexico, those side effects could be wasting water - lots of it.

The culprit is programmable sprinkler systems, which can be as difficult to manage as the infamous VCR.

But a technology being tested at New Mexico State University could change all that.

The university is testing several commercial "smart irrigation systems" that program themselves and self-adjust based on daily or monthly climate data, said Ted Sammis, the state climatologist.

"Most people just like to set a system once - be it a sprinkler or VCR - and leave it, cause they're a pain in the neck to program," Sammis said. "But with sprinkler systems, that can cause several problems."

Depending on what time of year a person sets up a sprinkler system, the programming can lead to overwatering or underwatering - and stressed vegetation that could increase landscaping costs significantly, Sammis said.

"People tend to set them in summer, then over-irrigate in the spring and fall," Sammis said. "Or instead they set them at a lesser level to make watering affordable, but they end up stressing their trees and killing them."

The smart systems run either through a wireless paging system, which costs about $4 a month to subscribe, or they hook into a personal computer so the owner can monitor them without programming them through a clunky interface, Sammis said.

The systems themselves cost about $750, he added.

Agricultural users have been working with smart sprinklers for a few years, but recently urban users have grown more interested in the technology - especially with stressed water supplies in the state, he said.

"So far it looks like with these systems you can get water savings of as much as 25 percent or 30 percent," Sammis said. "That's pretty significant."

The NMSU study, which should start in the next three months and last for a year, will look at the actual performance of smart sprinklers compared with regular sprinklers to see just how efficient they are, said Rolston St. Hilaire, a landscape specialist at NMSU.

"We expect that with smart sprinklers homeowners will get healthier lawns and landscapes with less time and effort - and we also expect overall to get more water savings," St. Hilaire said.

The study, which costs $15,490 in grant money, is just awaiting final approval. Once it begins, the public can check out the sprinklers for free in Las Cruces at the school's facility at 400 West University Ave., St. Hilaire said.

"We really want to push the technology," St. Hilaire said. "We're going to test it on grass plots and see how green the grass is throughout the year, and also monitor how much water is used."

Some states have started rebate programs for homeowners who install the smart sprinkler systems, but nothing like that exists so far in New Mexico, Sammis said.

California has mandated their use in some construction projects, Sammis said.

If the NMSU study proves the systems save water, it could add weight to a push to create a rebate program for homeowners who add the smart systems, he said.

"Without a rebate, if you base it on only water cost, you probably won't get your money back for 10-12 years," Sammis said. "But if you base the cost on the fact that your landscaping costs go up when you don't manage your watering, you could get that money back pretty quick."