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Sad..... Just unbelievably sad. Trees & water were the main things thet kept the atmosphere in Austin livable, not to mention enjoyable. The big beautiful Live Oaks (& other old trees) provided shade, not to mention beauty.. and helped buffer some of the urban heat island effect. The greenbelt, Barton Springs & all the creeks & watering holes.. and the green meadows all made Austin an 'oasis in the desert'.. (but really of course it's the edge of the Blackland Prairie & Piney Woods). But now with the native trees dying and most of the creeks/waterways/greenbelt dry & empty, it seems the desert is encroaching upon us from the west and south... and what's left to protect people from the hellish atmosphere...? (besides indoor air conditioning...?) And what will it look like 10,20, 50 or 100 years from now, if this keeps up (which I bet it will)....?
Sad..... Just unbelievably sad. Trees & water were the main things thet kept the atmosphere in Austin livable, not to mention enjoyable. The big beautiful Live Oaks (& other old trees) provided shade, not to mention beauty.. and helped buffer some of the urban heat island effect. The greenbelt, Barton Springs & all the creeks & watering holes.. and the green meadows all made Austin an 'oasis in the desert'.. (but really of course it's the edge of the Blackland Prairie & Piney Woods). But now with the native trees dying and most of the creeks/waterways/greenbelt dry & empty, it seems the desert is encroaching upon us from the west and south... and what's left to protect people from the hellish atmosphere...? (besides indoor air conditioning...?) And what will it look like 10,20, 50 or 100 years from now, if this keeps up (which I bet it will)....?
I really don't think this will keep up for decades. Texas weather has always been characterized as drought interrupted by periods of flooding. This is the way it's been, to a lesser degree, and the way it was in the late 40s and 50s. And what came of it is the way this land has looked until now. These are exceptional conditions. It didn't continue then and I don't believe it will now. It will through next year, but we won't be in this weather pattern forever.
Hindsight is always 50/50. How much of that do you think they should have been able to predict in the 1950's? And how much responsibility do you think the local government should have to protect you from your own bad decisions?
The community has responded to that growth. We built the Highland Lake's reservoirs for flood control and to store water for times such as this when we needed it. We now have water use restrictions in place for drought years, water monitoring of lake levels, water conservation requirements for new construction, including landscaping ordinances that encourage drought resistant landscaping.
Who is forcing you to make those choices? Currently under state 2, and even under Stage 3 restrictions you can do both of those things, water your trees and your foundation.
However, if you feel stressed by those decisions, it sounds like a lack of personal planning on your part if you are having to make those choices. Why is it necessary for the government to make those choices for you? Or to protect you from your own bad choices? Did you buy a house built in clay soils? Or one with non-native water hungry trees and landscaping? If so, why shouldn't you be responsible for paying the costs of your bad decisions? Why is it the goverment's job to plan for your bad decisions?
Why don't you make the decisions you feel are right and change your landscaping and watering habits, and quit waiting for the government to force those decisions upon you?
"Austinites should have been required..." Do you really want the landscaping police coming into your yard and telling you what you can plant there? Current Austin landscaping ordinances go further then most any other area in Texas towards discouraging poor landscaping practices. But again, where is your personal responsibility for buying a house with that kind of landscaping, or planting it yourself? The resources are certainly out there to help you make prudent decisions. Why should I as a local tax payer have to foot the bill to pay for my local government to come out and force you to make good decisions?
This is the first time in 60 years when it appears we maybe need to do more. Don't blame the community planning over the last 60 years for individuals poor decisions. The community is you and me and everyone else who has made these decisions. Take responsibility for your community and help make it better.
You do make good points about individual responsibility. But I do maintain that our elected (and non-elected) leadership over many decades have not adequately anticipated what is happening. And, yes, individual citizens have not adequately anticipated this either. It's really both.
A positive outcome will be that our city, county, and state leadership will be smarter, as will individuals, and we will have to change our way of life if we want to live here.
You do make good points about individual responsibility. But I do maintain that our elected (and non-elected) leadership over many decades have not adequately anticipated what is happening. And, yes, individual citizens have not adequately anticipated this either. It's really both.
A positive outcome will be that our city, county, and state leadership will be smarter, as will individuals, and we will have to change our way of life if we want to live here.
I think the plan is and always has been "oh well, the rains will return at some point and then we won't have to deal with it then..."
Not a good plan, but that's the mindset around here.
Maybe because running a large, growing, ever evolving city is far more complex than ones individual household. Not excusing what they're doing, but let's not compare the challenges of running one's own budget (or a families) to those of running a city. Not to mention the dynamics of having ones measure of success be based on some seriously screwed up criteria.
Thank you, austinnerd, for reiterating my point.
When i make a financial decision, i bear the consequences.
When the government (at any level) makes a bad decision, it affects everyone.
This is relevant because dying trees are related to utility/water rates. We love our trees (many Live Oaks in the backyard). The greenbelts and trees are one of the main reasons why Austin is unique among Texas cities. If Austin Water and the city keep up with their reckless ways, nobody will be able to afford to water their lawns/gardens in a couple of years. A cursory calculation reveals that 75% of our water usage is for the garden. Saddened for my friends in the beautiful Hill country who have to truck in water for personal use.
My personal finances are doing quite well, thank you very much. Heh, not responding to personal taunts from a prolific poster (who dislikes our current governor and would justify ANYTHING our city 'leaders' do).
When i make a financial decision, i bear the consequences.
When the government (at any level) makes a bad decision, it affects everyone.
errr, no, I didn't reiterate your point. And actually, you reiterated mine, that you can't compare the two cuz they're different beasts. Not that I disagree with you overall, but just saying your statement comparing the two didn't follow.
I think the plan is and always has been "oh well, the rains will return at some point and then we won't have to deal with it then..."
Not a good plan, but that's the mindset around here.
That is the idea behind the Highland Lakes, and that was a plan for drought. Granted, the planning is from 60 years ago, but still... it was intended to provide water in a drought like what happened in the 50's and is happening now.
And it will rain again. It's actually a pretty good plan in it's simplicity. We will have wet and dry years, even if we are moving to a more desert-like climate. Perhaps we need new, deeper reservoirs to give us an even larger store of water during droughts. No need to complicate things with desalination plants, or pipelines running across the country. Just scale up the time-tested methods of rainwater collection and conservation.
That is the idea behind the Highland Lakes, and that was a plan for drought. Granted, the planning is from 60 years ago, but still... it was intended to provide water in a drought like what happened in the 50's and is happening now.
And it will rain again. It's actually a pretty good plan in it's simplicity. We will have wet and dry years, even if we are moving to a more desert-like climate. Perhaps we need new, deeper reservoirs to give us an even larger store of water during droughts. No need to complicate things with desalination plants, or pipelines running across the country. Just scale up the time-tested methods of rainwater collection and conservation.
One method already proposed downstream is to build several more water reservoirs on relatively unproductive land along the colorado river to store water for the rice farmers.
When i make a financial decision, i bear the consequences.
When the government (at any level) makes a bad decision, it affects everyone.
This is relevant because dying trees are related to utility/water rates. We love our trees (many Live Oaks in the backyard). The greenbelts and trees are one of the main reasons why Austin is unique among Texas cities. If Austin Water and the city keep up with their reckless ways, nobody will be able to afford to water their lawns/gardens in a couple of years. A cursory calculation reveals that 75% of our water usage is for the garden. Saddened for my friends in the beautiful Hill country who have to truck in water for personal use.
My personal finances are doing quite well, thank you very much. Heh, not responding to personal taunts from a prolific poster (who dislikes our current governor and would justify ANYTHING our city 'leaders' do).
Yes, I do not like our current governor. What does that have to do with anything else discussed in this thread??? NOTHING!
I love live oak trees too, but there is nothing in our current water rates plan preventing you from watering your live oak trees. You are making no sense. How many gallons of water did you use last month? Sounds like you are complaining about how much it costs you to water your lavish St. Augustine lawn at your huge residence. Isn't that your responsibility to install drought tolerant plants, native landscaping and regulate your resources?
What reckless ways are the City and Austin water following? You have cited none.
When have I ever justified "ANYTHING" our city 'leaders' do? Much to the contrary. But you have not cited a single thing they have done wrong or made any case for them changing anything. You complain with no understanding of how decisions are made, or of what role you have in the process. If the city leaders are making bad decisions, it comes down to the City voters like you having picked bad leaders and failed to participate in the decision making process.
You are denying your responsibility and role in this process. That is hypocritical. What have you done to make things better?
Again as asked in my previous post:
Quote:
What irresponsible spending plans are you referring to. You make no sense and provide no information to support your ranting. What does your rant have to do with this thread and the topic at hand? Why do you list these 5 people specifically, what have they done?
Spending like drunken sailors? When, on What?
Do you consider yourself one of those "common folks living in austerity? You previously said you live in a 3,557sf house. Doesn't sound to common or austere to me.
One method already proposed downstream is to build several more water reservoirs on relatively unproductive land along the colorado river to store water for the rice farmers.
The Hill Country topography lends itself to much more natural looking lakes, though. Too bad the land is all so expensive now. The problem with reservoirs downstream from Austin is that you couldn't use water from there to keep Lake Travis filled (although, the additional capacity might allow you to keep more water in LT).
In my perfect scenario, you'd build another huge variable-level reservoir upstream to replace some of the functionality Lake Travis, then keep Lake Travis as a constant-level lake like Lakes Austin and Ladybird. Especially with the new water treatment plant going in and all the urbanization, it would be sensible to me to change Lake Travis' functionality a bit and make it more like Lake Austin (but understanding it will be the drinking water reservoir for a much larger future population).
And then you'd ALSO add the downstream reservoirs for the rice farmers.
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