The initial news story I read about Austin going to Stage Two water restrictions failed to mention one important fact: everyone will be cut back to one day a week to use sprinklers. So here’s the official Stage Two restrictions (as they apply to residences):
Outdoor watering schedule
• Commercial, multifamily odd-numbered addresses: Tuesday
• Commercial, multi-family even-numbered addresses: Friday
• Residential odd-numbered addresses: Saturday
• Residential even-numbered addresses: SundayTimes for outdoor watering
• Automatic systems: Before 10 a.m.
• Hose sprinklers/soaker hoses: Before 10 a.m., and/or after 7 a.m.
• By hand: Any time on any day.
That’s just the watering schedule, there are also other rules:
• Outdoor irrigation is prohibited, except on assigned days at designated times.
• No charity car washes.
• No automatic fill valves for pools or ponds.
• No outdoor ornamental fountains, except as needed to provide aeration for aquatic life.
• No filling, refilling or adding water to indoor fountains.
• No washing of sidewalks, driveways, parking areas patios or other paved surfaces.
• Restaurants may not serve water to customers unless it is requested by the customer.
• Vehicle washing is limited to designated days and times, with a hand-held bucket or a positive shut-off nozzle on a hose.
Also, they will not be giving any warnings after this starts on August 24th. Violations will be an immediate $500 fine.
You know, if I lived in Texas, all that would be inspiration for me to start a Japanese rock garden instead of having a lawn…
(Besides, a rock garden is so cool.) :flower:
I just looked at our water usage for last month, and while it’s still below the city average, it’s still five times more than we have ever used since we got the house … and the grass is still dead. I’ve never been a big Rah-Rah Must Have Green Carpet Lawn sort of person, but I was at least trying to keep it all from actually dying. Total fail, I think. It’s looking really dead.
I just want to scrape it all up now, think about it a month, and then go to my mom’s and load the bed of the truck up with rocks. Mom has tons of rocks (literally – my parents were rock-hounds), and she wants them gone. Add a few native plants and cacti, and call it a garden. It’s win-win! Has to be better than dead grass and wasting water on said dead grass.