No rain, no watering: Imagining a drier future for Austin & its landscaping industry
Photo courtesy of Lee Clippard
Are we brave enough to look the worst-case scenario in the eye? Let’s lay it out: the rains don’t return this winter, at least not sufficiently to ease our exceptional drought, and next summer Austin enters Stage 3 watering restrictions, in which all landscape watering must cease.
Gulp.
Thursday evening I attended a brainstorming session with approximately 40 Austin landscaping professionals—garden designers, landscape architects, horticulturists, educators, growers, retail and wholesale nursery workers, arborists, green roof experts, aquifer management folks, garden-book authors, conservationists, Wildflower Center staff, and others—at which moderator Rich Zarria asked us to imagine this scenario and, war-room style, start thinking and talking about how the industry and we as individuals can evolve to meet the challenge. He and the other organizers convened the meeting because they feel it’s high time everyone started discussing the implications of an extended drought rather than passively hoping and praying for rain and keeping on with business as usual. Neither he nor anyone else there had answers, only the hope that by talking together we can come to grips with the situation and plan for the future—preferably a hopeful one.
Lace cactus
Here are some questions to muse on, some posed by Rich, some by people I conversed with, some by me:
If we can’t water next summer, what will that mean for our city’s natural landscape, our personal gardens, our clients’ landscaping, and Austin’s already stressed tree canopy?
How can industry professionals keep their businesses (landscaping services, nurseries, etc.) alive?
Should we lobby for more water, at the expense of industrial usage or the water-guzzling rice farmers downstream? Is food production more important than ornamental landscaping? Is rice farming appropriate where there’s not adequate rainfall to support it? What is the worth (economic or otherwise) of ornamental landscaping and gardens that depend on at least some water?
What do we, as experts, tell the non-gardener homeowners who will be shocked to see their traditional landscaping die without water? Do we advise them to re-sod with St. Augustine, or perhaps Bermuda, when the rains return? Are native plants the answer? Should the city mandate which plants are OK to plant and which are not?
Can we figure out ways to popularize gray-water irrigation and rainwater collection systems?
Can we convert HOAs that have archaic landscaping rules that include traditional lawn grass (which won’t survive without water) to a new, dry-garden aesthetic?
Should we switch to a desert plant palette, even though we’re likely to have occasional rainy years interspersed in the drought years?
When the rains return and lakes fill again, as they will eventually (whether it be in the next couple of years or next decade), do we return to business as usual or evolve in a new direction, knowing that drought will inevitably return?
Rich’s gloomy scenario was tempered by his optimism that together we can come up with ways to get through this crisis, and that Austin is uniquely positioned to rise to the challenges. We didn’t choose this scenario, we all desperately wish we weren’t faced with it, but we have no power over what Mother Nature throws at us. The only thing we can control is our response. Austin is known as a green city, Rich pointed out, and we can lead by example.
I’ll geek out here and quote Tolkien: “I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
Your thoughts?
Lace cactus in bloom
All material © 2006-2011 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
It’s too bad that we’re in a terrible economy or Austin could do what they did in El Paso; pay citizens to tear out their lawns. Really, I think that most of our water issues in the west would be solved if we started charging municipalities the actual cost of water. Where I live in Utah, it’s basically free at 58¢ per thousand gallons; they just charge for delivery and treatment, like most places. If governments recognized that water is a commodity, and charged people the actual value of water when people put it to one use at the expense of another, people would reconsider their usage really fast. You could make exceptions for agriculture, but I’m afraid westerns would be up in arms (literally) if their water was no longer free. As the old saying goes, whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting.
Susan, for a while this summer, the City of Austin was offering a financial incentive program to residents willing to let their thirsty St. Augustine lawns die and then plant a more drought-tolerant lawn in its place. However, at this time the lawn-replacement program seems to be discontinued. —Pam
I know that there are a lot of things to discuss here, but… I’m fixated on one of your comments in particular. You have RICE FARMS downstream?! Maybe there’s a part of Texas that is not hot and naturally somewhat dry, but it just seems like that’s not even close to the right sort of place for rice farming to be sustainable. Am I just being ignorant here?
Kim, the rice farms are located in southeast Texas, which does receive more annual rainfall than Austin. Houston, for example, which is about 3 hours southeast of Austin, has an annual rainfall of around 50 inches; Austin’s 30-year normal is 34 inches. So far this year Austin has received only 12 inches of rain (Camp Mabry statistics).
Regardless of rainfall normals, however, according to this article from the Texas Tribune, the rice farmers use an astounding 57% of the Highland Lakes water (the water Central Texas cities rely on) at a cheap rate with the understanding that their water supply may be interrupted during drought. There are some people questioning whether rice is a sustainable crop in an area prone to drought. —Pam
http://www.ricefarming.com/home/issues/2011-04/2011_AprSS.html
I found this article and according the author the urban areas are the ones that should learn from rice farmers. Interesting but not my area of expertise. Don’t shoot me, I am just the messenger! 🙂 Pamie G.
PS: I have more rocks than grass on a grande scale!
No doubt we can all become more efficient water consumers, urban and agricultural areas alike. —Pam
This conversation should be held in many communities, and water issues are not just a western or southwestern issue. Water is an issue here as well. We have had droughts (not many) when water use was restricted, but our bigger issue is salt water intrusion. At the same time the sea levels are rising, our land here is subsiding, an ongoing reaction to the absence of glaciers further north. It has gotten to the point here that people are starting to ask what land is worth fighting for, and what can be allowed to flood. I guess in Austin’s case similar choices might have to be made as to what should be preserved and what can be let go.
I agree, Les. Water issues are not restricted to the southwest. We should all be thinking about how to conserve this precious resource. —Pam
I wish I’d been a fly on the wall at that meeting! It’s good people are talking about this. I’ve read through the Austin City Code, and it seems that landscape watering is allowed in Stage 3. Granted, Stage 3 allows only hand-held watering, for only 7 hours, and only one day a week. But that’s better than nothing. I could keep my young oak trees alive with that much water for a while. The real kicker is beyond Stage 3, or what the Austin City Code calls § 6-4-72 Additional Restrictions During Long-term Water Supply Shortages. When the combined capacity of Lakes Travis and Buchanan fall below 681,000 acre-feet, that’s when the Austin Water Utility Director can prohibit outdoor watering with potable water. I can see a scenario where we skip from Stage 2 over Stage 3 right to “Additional Restrictions.”
Caroline, it is hard to guess whether we will go to Stage 3, or something in-between Stages 2 and 3, or whether new rules will be written regarding water use, should the drought continue. No one seems to have any answers, and I can only hope that the powers-that-be are thinking it through rather than just hoping and praying for rain. —Pam
Okay, I’ll weigh in on this.
All that water that goes down our drains doesn’t need to.–It’s a HUGE waste. Perhaps Austin could promote gray water use to a much larger extent in new construction and in rebates for folks to retrofit plumbing to be used for irrigation. I’ve used my washing machine water (2-3 loads/week) to water about 5-7 shrubs/week for years. This water kept those shrubs alive through this drought including a newly planted sweet almond. I wonder just how much laundry and shower water a family of 4 uses per week? Further for new commercial construction, I think the City should mandate the recycling of their water and the catchment of rain from their roof.
I believe Austin should heavily promote the use of drought-tolerant plants (not necessarily natives). Maybe plant nurseries could be given some form of incentive to promote only drought-tolerant landscape plants.
Because of extenuating circumstances for the year of 2005-2006, I couldn’t water all winter/summer long and I was absolutely surprised at the plants that survived without anything from me. The summer of 2006 in Austin was very dry. I also have Bermuda (not by choice) in the front yard. I never water it and it never dies even though I want it to. Perhaps folks could get a rebate for every ligustrum and Nandina that is ripped out and replaced by agarita, possumhaw, Cenizo, lantana, agave or pomegranate.
The bottom line is that the dry weather will dictate the plants that survive in Austin’s landscapes and if Austin is as forward-thinking as it proclaims, we need to face our water crisis head on.
Thanks for weighing in so thoughtfully, Laura. I too would like to see gray-water reuse for residences and businesses, although I understand there are restrictions on this by city code. I don’t know enough about it to know what those are. The city does do a good job of promoting xeriscape plant choices with the Grow Green program and free plant guide, which is available online, in independent nurseries, and even in the big box stores.
You are right that almost nothing will kill Bermuda. For that matter, almost nothing will kill invasive and drought-tolerant nandina and ligustrum either. 😉 —Pam
I will be interested in reading what comes about all this discussion. Here we have a very high water table. The farmers pump out millions of gallons of water onto fields. People around here never think about this issue. Choosing the right plants is a good first step. Gray water usage is helpful.
Water issues are becoming more important everywhere, but we are definitely feeling the heat (so to speak) here in Texas. I too am interested in knowing what comes of all this. —Pam
From your comments I can only supppose you know nothing about rice farming and do not eat rice.
I welcome thoughtful comments on this issue, Sally. This is not one. —Pam
I am clueless as to the severity of this problem. I do detect through reading your comments, it could become a controversial topic, if not already.
Oh yes, it’s very controversial, and the LCRA, which decides how our water will be allocated, isn’t being very forthcoming about where we’re heading. Astonishingly, there hasn’t been much public discussion about how we should adapt to continuing water shortages. There are certainly no easy answers. —Pam
We started Stage 3 restrictions this month, which means outdoor watering is limited to once every other week. What ticks me off is that we did not have any kind of restrictions until August. Now we are being warned that the intake pipes at Lake Lavon, our primary water source, will be sucking air if the water level drops another 10 feet. Of course, nearby Dallas, which owns vast water resources, will finally enter Stage 1 watering restrictions on December 12 and they will have to limit their outdoor watering to twice a week. This is Texas. We know we will have dry years. We should always have some sort of conservation measures in place because too many people do not have the common sense to voluntarily conserve water.
It is possible to have a nice looking landscape (even a lawn) that does not guzzle water. If we are smart about our water usage and have consistent conservation measures, we will have water available for landscape use over an extended period. Eventually, homeowners, businesses, and landscapers will learn which plants will survive those conditions and adapt their landscapes and practices.
Michael, I agree it would be frustrating to go directly from little or no water restrictions to full-on Stage 3. The city should have eased into it much earlier, as you say. And homeowners like you who have already put in xeric landscaping must be doubly frustrated to see nearby Dallas continue to guzzle water like there’s no tomorrow.
One thing that frustrates me is how each city has its own, varying definitions of Stage 1 restrictions, Stage 2, etc. And one community may be on Stage 2 while the next city over may be on Stage 1, yet they all draw from the same water source. How is that fair? Austin has been proactive with its watering restrictions (of course, yet more could be done) compared to some nearby cities. Unfortunately, that means when the LCRA asks all of central Texas to reduce water consumption by a certain percentage, it’ll fall harder on Austin than those cities that have yet to conserve much at all. I’m not sure how the issue of fairness will be resolved. —Pam
Hi Pam,
Great to post about this. Even if the drought lasts only (shudder..boo hiss) until 2012 (as some predict) and we go back to regular amounts of rain, the mindset for most will be changed. A common thought will be, “I don’t want that in my yard, it takes too much water”. This will force a shift to new plant introductions by the industry. Those selling standard fare will need to look towards the west for answers. The BIG question remains…just how much abuse and suffering can our natives take. I worry about them more than you can imagine. The grass family will be fine BTW…they shut down during drought and can regenerate miraculously.
Considering that NATIVES didn’t just pop up yesterday, we have to imagine that their ancestors have been through thousands of years of climate here in Texas. Still, it’s the last straw for some of them. For example, I could show you dozens of parts of Houston with our hundred year old loblolly pine forests ravaged and mostly brown. All of these trees will be cut down and just smaller deciduous trees left. In the future, children will have a difficult time imagining the pine forests that were here on the drier edge of their range. Their range has shifted eastward or so it seems and this has changed the entire flavor of the Houston landscape.
David/ 🙂 Dry Tropical Texana
David, I too worry immensely about our native plants, especially our trees, that our dying in this drought. People who think it’s just affecting poorly chosen, thirsty plants don’t understand the toll the drought is taking on our native flora. This was a point that came up at our meeting. Encouraging people to plant natives is good and necessary, but in a drought like this, even natives (especially newly planted ones) can die without some water. How do those of us in the landscaping industry deal with this? How much do we need to change our plant palette (looking west) in order to adapt? A complicating factor is the likelihood of wet years still occurring, even in a decade-long drought. Will very xeric plants—Austin may look to Phoenix, and Houston to the Hill Country, I suppose—be able to handle a “normal” year of rainfall?
If we’re lucky and the drought ends next year or the year after, I hope, like you, that people’s mindsets will be permanently changed. But I wonder. I tend to think that people will slip back into old habits unless the city continues to mandate watering restrictions and encourages planning for the next drought. —Pam
As you probably know, our weather patterns are influenced by La Nina and El Nino. I curse La Nina since it always means drought for us, yet I just saw a production on PBS about how it means life and abundance for an enormous variety and population of wildlife crucial to the ecosystems of South America. SIGH. When we suffer, they thrive and vice versa. I do think we are in for MAJOR long term changes. I learned of a book published by one of the university presses concerning the future of water resources in Texas. Haven’t read it, but want to. At least 1/3 of our native trees here in north central Texas are dying. Life as we have known it is changing profoundly.
It is, Gretchen. The drought of record for Texas was 50 years ago. My husband’s grandmother was here then and remembers the native trees dying off. That’s happening again. What worries me is that we may be at the beginning of another decade of drought, not at the end of a 2-year one. —Pam
A deep, complex issue with just as many opportunities as perceived (paradigm) pitfalls from the public. It is OUR job (fellow designers) to inspire and educate. But that takes deep thought.
Great points. And climate change has always happened, and it varies by place and time period. As another posted, natives have survived such changes, just maybe not in the tree density they became in wetter periods (like might have just ended, for a while). Climate is measured in many decades, not years. But taking lessons from changes in the wild, with native plants in one place used as found in nature (riparian plants in lower places, xeric plants in higher places, etc) as a model for one’s overall landscape theme, this should not be a huge issue. And requiring water harvesting – passive and active – plus water budgets and great design examples that do some bit of the above as you suggest, great!
As to active water harvesting (cisterns), sure, require that in new construction (Santa Fe NM does) but also require full disclosure of the real cost of all the subsidized municipal water taxes pay for on top of a water bill. Then, cisterns may not look so impractically expensive for city folk! (though without a prayer to opt out of subsidizing public water works, one has to still pay above and beyond…not for the poor)
What central TX had this year in moisture is a wet year where I live. But the few who do the above are OK, those who don’t need to move way east or face some fightin’ over water! If I am told “no more potable water for outdoor irrigation” tomorrow, in my own garden or the countless ones in the region I’ve designed reflective of my design philosophies over 15+ years, most of each one should be fine.
Glad to see you note such a complex issue! Maybe this drought-landscape-population growth issue will move the thinking part of the landscape industry to become leaders in land use, and that will get the public (and non-thinking part) of the landscape industry to think, too?
That is my hope as well, David. Your example as a designer who designs for the (arid) climate he lives in is an example to follow. —Pam
This is a very important subject for the future…for gardeners, landscapers and just those who want to have a bath once in a while. Water is valuable. And, some people just don’t get it.
We lived all our lives before we moved here, in North Central Texas. A bit wetter than Central Texas. But, there were plenty droughts up there. Moving here, I’m learning many new ways of gardening. Not the least is the water situation. Living in Texas, you learn, it’s feast or famine with rain….you’re dried up or flooded. That in between stage is heavenly.
I’m always amazed at the people who move from wetter parts of the country and try to recreate what they had there. It just won’t work.
Home developers and landscapers may have to pave the way in educating their clients and communities. Water harvesting is simple, and could be worked into any home design. Gray water issues would be harder…there are environmental laws against some of that. Again…more education needed.
I’ve learned a lot this last year. I’m putting in more drought resistant and native plants….Some pavers to take up space, but not stop rain from getting through…and, more rocks. You don’t have to water rocks. We’re putting in more rain barrels. We catch shower water while it’s heating up. I’m wondering how Laura, above, managed to use water from her washer on shrubs. We haven’t been allowed to water with irrigation systems or hose end sprinklers for months. I do worry about the trees we can’t water.
We already have expensive water here from a private company..Aqua Texas. I’m pretty sure the people here would be up in arms, if the price went even higher. It does make more people pay attention to the water they’re using, though. Sometimes the pocketbook is the only way to get people’s attention.
I hope the powers that be come up with a good answer…and, soon.
Yes, water is only getting more expensive. Perhaps that is what will end up getting most people’s attention. —Pam
Hi, Pam. It’s honorable and intelligent that you are having this conversation. And if anyone would be leading the way, with your background and love and knowledge of succulents, I’d say it’s you.
Thanks for the kind words, Kathryn. I’m not leading the way, but I do hope to contribute to the conversation and encourage others to do so as well. —Pam
Pam I remember you told us your garden is watered. Would be interested to hear what you would do, in your home garden, if potable water could no longer be used there?
2 adults in this house, produce more grey water from showers and washing machines in one day, than we can spread by hand watering. My rose garden ONLY gets grey water. If it doesn’t survive on about 10 litres of grey water a week (or less!), the plant will be gone. Using grey water also helps to recharge the aquifer.
If potable water could no longer be used to irrigate I would do exactly what I’ve been doing this year: planting mainly yuccas, nolinas, agaves, salvias, and other very drought-tolerant plants and taking out or letting die lawn grass, roses and other unhappy perennials, and thirsty annuals. Central Texas has been in drought basically since I started my current garden. I do irrigate on my watering day. I couldn’t have gotten my garden established otherwise. We normally receive 34 inches (864 mm) of rain. This year we’ve gotten 11 inches (279 mm). Plus we had record-setting heat this summer—3 solid months of 100+ degrees (37.7 C). Even well-established native plants are suffering.
Gray-water systems are not common here (and city codes prohibit certain types of gray-water use). It’s encouraging to hear how well gray-water use works for you; maybe we’ll make gains in that area soon. Rainfall cachement systems (rain barrels, cisterns, rain gardens, etc.) are more popular here—but you need rain for those to do any good, and we haven’t had it. —Pam
I have no answers on this subject other than to say I am hoping “this too shall pass.” Like the drought of the ’50s came and went. But maybe I am naive. I’ve seen dry years and then the next year we are flooding. How does one plan for that? Anyway, I just wanted to say that lace cactus is GORGEOUS!! It looks like it is covered in spiders with a bunch of legs 🙂
Hoping for the best and planning for the worst—that must be our way forward through this drought. I’m glad you like the lace cactus pics. I did smile at your calling it gorgeous in the same breath as saying it looks covered in spiders. (Shiver) —Pam
A timely post, Pam. I have been thinking about this quite a lot this year after the disaster I had in my own garden this summer. La Nina is expected to persist through next year, so it looks like it will be more of the same. The problem in my garden was not just lack of water, but the extreme heat as well. I tried planting things that have been traditionally xeric for our climate here on the high plains, but the heat killed them before they could become established. It didn’t matter how much water they got.
After long consideration, I’ve decided to treat this as a long-term climate shift. I grew up in the high deserts of New Mexico, and I think that’s what our prairie is shifting to. So I’ve decided to revamp the whole concept this year to reflect high desert. We may eventually get a wet year again, but it probably will never be so much that the high desert plants can’t take it. What they _can_ take is extreme hot and cold, and drought.
Good point about the contributing factor of the extreme heat of last summer on even our most xeric plants. Your decision to plant high desert plants in response (in your Lubbock garden) may indeed be the best plan. —Pam
Do you have any idea where I can find more information on the codes that govern gray water systems in Austin? I am very interested in putting one in. It may not save all of the garden, but I hope to save my trees. Thanks! – Eleanor
Eleanor, I don’t have any information on gray-water systems. I hope to learn more about it too. —Pam
Great post, Pam. This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot.
And in response to Eleanor, last night I ran into a guy who works for Innovative Water Solutions, and among other things, they install grey water systems. If anyone would know what is and isn’t allowed under Austin code, they would be good people to talk to.
Thanks for the info about the installer of gray-water systems, Lori. —Pam
Lots to think about, Pam. From afar, I can only imagine the angst and sacrifice and tough decisions that gardeners, homeowners, businesses and everyone has to make under such difficult drought conditions. Here in Indiana, the last two summers we have had very dry conditions in July/August, but then got needed rain in the fall. I still suffered some plant loss in my garden and my lawn looked terrible, but it looks much better now after the rain. I can’t imagine what it would be like if we hadn’t received normal fall rain.
Yes, that’s what we’re facing this year, with predictions of another difficult, dry summer next year. This is why we really need to face the music and think about how we can adapt as gardeners, citizens, and good business owners. —Pam
Thank you for this posting. It is an issue we all MUST think about and plan for. I have lived in Texas all my life (Austin for 25 years) and for the first time this summer started to really think about water shortages – possibly much move severe than what we have encountered so far. I’m going to check into the gray water possibilities and just installed a 250 gallon rainwater tank (in addition to several smaller ones already in place).
Times are a-changing, aren’t they? It sounds like you’re making smart decisions about water conservation. I hope to see those options become mainstream for new construction and remodeling projects. —Pam
Here is info on gray water in Austin: [bad link removed]
According to a friend who has a gray water system, you MUST use a bio-compatible soap. She uses a special brand, which is more expensive but worth it to be able to reuse the water for trees, landscaping, composting and foundation maintenance.
Many things need to change in order for a major shift in our water philosphy to occur: wastewater should also be measured at the residence (not just water coming in), more commercial acceptance and installation of rain harvesting and gray water systems needs to happen, and we need changes in our individual buying habits, etc. I’m angered when I see a lush green lawn, and I think of that household as careless, greedy and completely ignorant of our water crisis. I catch water everyday in my home, including the dog bowl water when I change it every morning.
I appreciate you telling us about your group discussion. If there’s a followup session, group initiative or call to action, keep us posted.
Kat, thanks for trying to include a link about gray-water use in Austin. Unfortunately, the link didn’t work, so I removed it. If you’d like to try to post it again, please feel free.
I agree with many of your points, including a need for changes in our individual buying habits. But I respectfully part ways with you when you brand people who still have green lawns as being “careless, greedy and completely ignorant of our water crisis.” (In the spirit of full disclosure, my own front lawn, which I’m gradually eliminating, is still green; I’ve already converted my former back lawn to a xeric garden.) Watering your lawn wisely and in accordance with conservation measures dictated by the city does not make one an ignorant, greedy bad guy. I don’t believe in shaming people or competing for the title of “Most Caring about the Environment.” Encouragement, leading by example, education, water usage rates that reward those who use less water, and, as necessary, city regulations will do more to change popular perceptions of how we should landscape our neighborhoods. Your example and passion will effect more positive change, I am sure, if you give people the benefit of the doubt and assume that they too want to do their part.
I appreciate your comment—and passion about this subject!—and will be sure to let you know if I hear of a group initiative or call for action. —Pam
Thanks for helping to raise awareness of the long term climate changes that are happening right now. Since we are dependent on rainfall that sometimes fails to arrive, the switch to plantings that can survive drought and no extra watering should be bumped up to the top of the list. HOAs that mandate lawns should be educated. If people knew which plants those were, it would help them manage their yards better. Municipalities should lead the way and help get the word out. Here in Tennessee, we have had our drought years, with no changes made by the powers that be expect whining about it. I would like to find out more about using the grey water. Our thoughts are with your part of the country.
Thanks, Frances. You are right that HOAs need to change with the times and cities should educate residents about drought-tolerant plants. The City of Austin has been doing that for years with the Grow Green program‘s excellent plant guide, which is distributed for free to area nurseries and the big-box stores, as well as online.
If all the people who use water sprinkler systems and pools upstream think their use of water is more important than that used for production of food downstream the world would soon be hungry.
If the cities and towns upstream were without water for sprinkler systems and pools there would not be a great economic disaster. If the water was denied the food producers downstream, there would be economic disaster in the counties from Beaumont to Corpus Christi, not to mention the disruption of the food supply of the world.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Sally. I agree that food production is more important, ultimately, than ornamental gardens or even the native tree canopy that keeps a city cooler in summer. But what I was questioning was whether a water-intensive crop like rice is appropriate in a drought-stricken state. Maybe another crop that requires less water could be grown instead. Using more than half of the water in the Highland Lakes for a rice crop seems like a lot to me. —Pam
Hi there, trying again to link to the Texas Administrative Code on Graywater:
http://info.sos.state.tx.us/pls/pub/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=T&app=9&p_dir=P&p_rloc=118606&p_tloc=&p_ploc=1&pg=3&p_tac=&ti=30&pt=1&ch=210&rl=85. Or google it for Title 30, Part 1, Chapter 210, Supchapter F, Rule 210.83.
My apologies to the green-lawn people. Thanks Pam.
Yay, the link worked this time! Thanks for trying again, and no worries about the green-lawn comment. I’m glad you’re engaged on this issue, Kat. We all need to be. —Pam
When my parents retired to the hills above Phoenix, one of their HOA’s rules was that no lawns were allowed, and that all landscaping was limited to native, heat and drought tolerant plants. The landscaping in their neighborhood was beautiful, and nobody watered more than once or twice in the summer. When I moved into my own home in the DFW area, I started a ten year plan to remove the lawns on my half-acre lot, and put in native and naturalized plants. All summer, I hand watered once a week, even when there were no water restrictions. I cannot tell you how many of my neighbors continued to water their lawns several times a week, letting the water run down the driveway, into the gutters, and down into the storm drains. Does this really make sense?
I think we’ve come to the point in Texas where we have to set aside the outdated notion that landscaping means water-sucking grass and shrubs, and learn about what grew here before we arrived—and start replanting what grows here naturally. If our population continues to expand at its current rate, it’s going to come down to water for lawns, or water to drink. We should start planning for that now, rather than waiting for the restrictions to kick in.
You make a good point about going native with our landscaping, Lisa. Natives (well-established natives, anyway) are generally better suited to take extremes of weather like we’re going through. That said, this drought has hit even many native plants very hard. Central Texas is losing thousands upon thousands of native trees. We’ll need to pay close attention to the plants that can survive this trial (some natives will, and some won’t) and plant more of the survivors. Our “native” plant palette may also have to shift westward over time, especially if climate change occurs faster than our native plants can adapt. —Pam
Austin Water paid me this fall to replace my front lawn you can see the project here (sans new plants):
http://xeric-front-yard.tumblr.com/
Honestly pretty much all my natives have come back, and all the plants that were planted during the sixties as being low water usage have died. Without the grass my water usage has plummeted. I do worry about HOAs though. I’ve written a post about that:
http://www.loadedguntheory.com/blog/listpost/tim/HOAs_and_Grass.html
I was on an HOA board dealing with home-owner complaints, and the problem is that changing the CCRs usually requires a 2/3+ vote of neighbors and thousands of dollars in lawyers/notary fees. And while you’re attempting to change the CCRs to take out all the lawn provisions one rogue neighbor can sue you and cost the neighborhood thousands. It’s a difficult problem that will more than likely need to be addressed at the state level.
I read your post and viewed your photos of your lawn conversion with interest, Tim. Thanks for sharing. I bet you’re glad to be out from under the HOA in your old neighborhood. I never thought about how hard it is for HOAs, even willing ones, to change their policies regarding landscaping. —Pam
Readers in the Austin area might be interested in the Spring Symposium sponsored by Native Plant Society and The LBJ Wildflower Center.
https://npsot.org/events/2012SpringSymposium.pdf
The topic is water and it includes some sessions on landscaping, water gardens and water harvesting. Registration starts December 1.
Thanks for the information about the symposium, Bill. —Pam