one of the local water conservation districts that controls water
use for the edwards aquifer/barton springs has declared stage 3
water restrictions
this covers a large number of people in the austin area and the
barton springs area where large groups go to swim in cool clear
water in the heat of the summer as it comes up from the springs
now they are in stage 3 conservation and those barton springs are
slowing down
hopefully they wont stop flowing
all outside irrigation of lawns and landscaping is prohibited
only essential indoor water use is allowed
only lawns needed for fire protection are allowed to be watered
or watering to protect your foundation
no new water well drilling or new users are allowed during this
stage 3 restrictions
these restrictions will probably be in force for several months
many of the wells will go dry in this area
minimal use is recommended
we have a rainwater collection system for our only water source for
both our home and for our outside use
our last rainfall was in june and it wasnt much
as mentioned before when we got all of our rains last year and this
spring i had several tanks undone for repair and for new water line
placement
so i missed several inches of rain that would probably have carried
me through this long drought without problems
we have been on our own stage 3 maybe stage 4 water restrictions
what does that mean
if you come to visit bring your own water and go to the bathroom
before you come or you will have to do what we do
we recycle as much of our shower and kitchen water as possible
we use an outdoor facility as much as possible to relieve ourself
(just like the old days but i refuse to use the old slop jar we
bought at an antique store) i do have limits
if its yellow let it mellow if its......
we have have low flow shower heads that use minimal flow
just ask anyone who comes to visit us about the flow
whine whine whine
we use the shower water to flush sometimes that saves 2.5 to 5 gallons
we dont run the water while we are brushing our teeth
i dont run the water when i shave-luckily i have a beard
we do a navy shower
any water or liquid that can be recycled in the kitchen is placed in
a 5 gallon bucket to be used on plants outside or for flushing inside
we hand wash our dishes and rinse them but all of that water is
used again inside or outside
our washing machine has low water use
its a side open model
outside i drip irrigate everything that i will water
most of my plantings are native and have been on their one for the
drought
many of the non native plants havent survived
survival of the fittest is what thats called
my garden has only a few things and for that im drip irrigating also
so this summer we had to order water delivered in bulk
what that means is that a large truck like a gas tanker truck
goes to a local source and brings you bulk potable water in
large quantities of 3000 gallons or more (but is cheaper than
gas)
only problem this time was that the fires in the austin area
caused a slow down in the availability of the water to these
bulk water trucks
also because of the drought and heat the water levels are
falling in all of the aquifers so many people in the hill country
have wells that are dry now or are barely producing water
many of them are getting regular deliveries of water until
the water levels return or until they just give up and move
we watched as our water levels dropped to at one point to
only 50 gallons of water that would easily be used up by
a teenager taking a long shower
our stage 3/4 water restrictions managed to get us through
this crisis
we plan to continue those restrictions into the future
and realized that this is what may be a partial answer to the
water problems we are in now and will be facing in this area and
across the us
look at your water bill and look at how much water you are
paying for each month
we use 2500-3000 gallons a month
and dont feel like we are over restricting ourselves too much
just being reasonable
everyone needs to look at ways to save water
xericscape your yard
when this is over or this fall ill list those plants that look
good and have survived this drought without any watering
maybe those are the ones everyone should be using in their
landscaping
why do we need all of that yard full of green grass anyway
we have removed all of our yard grass and xericaped it with
mulch, raised beds of xeric plants and crushed granite
walk ways
we have learned to appreciate the water we have
dont wait too long to get that appreciation where you live
if you live in the area where we live it will be happening to you
soon
BUTTERFLIES
the monarchs are coming
and they dont got no food to eat
please provide it
a local garden show recommended buying milkweed and lantana
and putting them in pots in your landscape so they would have
blooms they could access
also provide dishes with sand in them that is kept moist
this provides minerals and water for the monarchs to access
BAD THING GOOD THING
the drought is a bad thing and has very few good things
associated with it
but there are virtually no mosquitoes anywhere around our house
and we have seen very few grasshoppers which have overran us
the last few years
the chickens sure miss those grasshoppers though
now if they would just lay more eggs
the organicgreen doctor
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