As of November 21, the City of Austin has lifted Stage II water restrictions, with the guideline of now watering twice a week. But simply because we’re allowed to, should we? I say “NO!” and here’s why!
All Austin-area gardeners (and landscapers!) were hit hard during the summer of ’09. Coming fresh off the heels of a major recession that saw clients rightfully running scared and holding on to their purse-strings, now we had scorching heat, extreme drought and stringent water restrictions. I had several large jobs in the hopper that were put on hold because we couldn’t plant without a way to water, and it hurt. So, you’d think I’d be jumping up and down for joy since the City lifted Phase II water restrictions. Well, yes and no.
Lake Austin during the drought: those islands you see are normally covered with water. photo by forum.skyscraperpage.com
During Phase II restrictions, I noticed people becoming very creative about how they interpreted the City’s guidelines for water usage. We were relegated to once a week watering, but I saw and heard of people who simply ran their irrigation cycles twice on their designated watering day….so that’s still watering twice weekly, even if you don’t spread it out. Compliance: A+, Spirit of Conservation: F-.
Now that we’ve had some strong rains this fall, and unusually cooler temperatures, our lake levels are back up to acceptable and it seems we’re all breathing a sigh of relief. But if this sigh of relief makes us return to our formerly wasteful ways, what have we gained? We’ll go through this whole process again and again, because we haven’t learned to change the way we use water! We’ll move forward, remembering the dreadful Summer of ’09 when everything curled up and died, as if it was an anomaly that left us scratching our heads in bewilderment.
Here’s the skinny, Austin gardeners: We have chosen to live in an area that regularly experiences extreme drought broken up by sudden downpours. We have always had triple digit summers and if you’re not one to pooh-pooh global warming, we’ll experience more of the same in years to come. We don’t live in Seattle or London or Maine. We live in Austin, Texas and it’s about time we began gardening like we live in Austin, Texas. So when the City of Austin says we’re using too much water and our lake levels are low:
- DO NOT side-step the issue by watering twice a week on the same day
- DO NOT sneak in more cycles thinking it won’t matter
- DO NOT plant gardens that rely on deep, consistent watering to look beautiful
I urge all of you reading this post, whether in the Austin area or not, to do the following:
- Continue to water once a week. Exceptions are for newly planted landscapes, and then you water twice a week.
- Water less frequently and more deeply
- Garden with our native and adapted plants, using the Grow Green guide to help you
- Mulch using a good shredded hardwood to hold in moisture
- Find a support group for your Lawn Addiction (a little is ok, but know when to say No)
We simply cannot afford to go back to “life as usual.” Ever seen someone who racked up $50k in credit card debt, declared bankruptcy, and then did it all over again? We all know it’s because the habit didn’t change. We have to change our habits; it’s not a choice anymore. If we’re going to breathe a sigh of relief, let it be with these words: Thank God we have another chance to wake up and make some changes. Because if we don’t, we’re gonna run out of chances.
We’re not teenagers who comply because there will be hell to pay if we don’t. We’re thinking adults who can understand the reasons behind things and act accordingly. If we make our Spirit of Conservation an A+, we won’t even need to worry about getting an F in Compliance. Now, go forth in knowledge and conserve.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post, Jenny. It drove me nuts when I saw the Statesman announce the lifting of watering restrictions with a headline that said, in effect, Austinites, start your sprinklers! No, especially not as we head into the cooler and rainier time of year. Wait until it’s needed, and remember to conserve even when it’s hot and dry.
That said, I do think it can be effective to run your irrigation system twice on your watering day IF you run it a short time the first time around, just to wet the mulch and “dampen the sponge,” following with a shorter than usual second run time. Sometimes when it’s really dry, mulch gets crusty and doesn’t absorb water well, especially fast-pumped water from an irrigation system. Prepping the ground with a brief wetting before irrigating more deeply can help.
Thanks Pam! Good point about the sponge analogy–sort of like when a houseplant is bone dry and you try to water and it just runs right through. My problem is when cycles are run twice through at normal times, without thinking it through. I’d like to see increased awareness of water and our use of it.
Well said! I’m always at a loss (and kind of astonished) when I hear people brag about “getting around” the restrictions. You got it totally right – we live in a hot climate, and we should live and plant accordingly.
I’m particularly irritated by commercial properties (the Arboretum comes to mind) that plant grass that I know damn well isn’t heat or drought tolerant. I hope that as attitudes and habits change, customers will see this not as beautiful planting, but as an unacceptable waste of resources.
Maybe the city or we could try to educate people on more effective ways to water and conserve. Drip irrigation comes to mind. And I don’t think everyone knows about the inexpensive water barrels they sell at the Sunset Valley Farmer’s market.
What really gets me is knowing that there are people and companies blatantly watering with sprinklers 2 and even 3 times a week that don’t get busted. I’ve even called to turn people in and nothing happened…
I think it’s an ongoing education issue. Most people don’t intend to be wasteful; they just don’t think about it. It’s no longer a “tree hugger” or “hippy” thing; water conservation is an issue that affects every one of us and the whole environment as we know it. Thanks for your thoughts!
Great post! I live in an area with water restrictions as well…a fellow designer’s clients is the #1 water user in this area, who happens to have very deep pockets as well. His answer to the Water Board’s complaints? “Fine….tell me what I owe and I’ll pay it..”. F- for sure. Having the financial ability to pay the GIANT bill isn’t enough – understanding the problem is the issue here!
I won’t even design landscapes for high water use anymore. You can have almost any style of garden you like while using xeric plants; there’s no excuse but ignorance, and that ain’t a good one! Maybe we need to start putting restrictions on how much water you can use in general, not just when we’re in a drought and the lake levels are dangerously low. Any thoughts on how that would be legislated or enforced?