Is it time to outlaw St. Augustine grass? (Houston, Austin: 2009, appliances)

[CptnRn]

We are running out of water in Central Texas. Is it time to outlaw St. Augustine grass and replace it with drought resistant native plants? I know I'm using way more water then I like trying to keep the stuff alive.

LCRA considers long-range water needs

At the next turn of the century, with the Austin area looking something like today's Houston, Travis County will see a near-tripling in water demand. Williamson and Hays counties will require four or five times as much water as they do now, as our descendants will need water to drink, to bathe and to wash clothes and dishes. And on the Gulf end of the Colorado River, in Matagorda County, demand for water will roughly triple with new power plants requiring it to help cool their systems and power their turbines.

Graph of demand versus availability

That article says that conservation to reduce water use is far cheaper then any of the alternatives to produce more water. I wonder if they will help me pay for the cost of replacing my lawn?

[inthecut]

When I first saw your post, I thought you were talking about the other stuff!
I'm sure I'm not the only one either! LOL!

was trying to imagine what kind of "grass" it was...blessed by the Pope?......imprimatured by the Catholic Church?

[CptnRn]

LOL! I bet you were outraged! Or going to volunteer to come dig it up for me.

[BentBow]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

I know I'm using way more water then I like trying to keep the stuff alive.

I feel your pain!


There sure is a lot more people sucking water from the lake, than there was in the 70's & 80's!

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

LOL! I bet you were outraged! Or going to volunteer to come dig it up for me.

Haha....well, sorry, as I see this is actually a serious issue, and I can really get into the whole aquifer aspect of this, but it was funny for just a sec......

[woodinvilleguy]

I wish they would design grey water systems for landscape water and for toilets. Those are probably the two biggest wastes of water.

[kiacook]

You know, I could actually see the city, county, or state gov't providing incentive to people to replace their grass with more drought resistant kinds. Kind of like they provide the programmable thermostats and rebates for energy efficient appliances.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by woodinvilleguy

I wish they would design grey water systems for landscape water and for toilets. Those are probably the two biggest wastes of water.

I agree, I think the City has been opposed to grey water systems in the past, afraid it might pollute the ground water or something, but I will look into it.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by kiacook

You know, I could actually see the city, county, or state gov't providing incentive to people to replace their grass with more drought resistant kinds. Kind of like they provide the programmable thermostats and rebates for energy efficient appliances.

Absolutely!

I wonder how many houses there are in Austin? If we guess 200,000 and each one spends $1,000 a year on watering the yard, that is $200 million we could save.

[10scoachrick]

I think we MIGHT have gotten 10 gallons in our rain barrel yesterday...normally, a quarter-inch rainfall will fill the 60 gallon barrel. We could use some real rain. When we moved here last summer, everyone said it was 'unusually dry'...guess what...same thing THIS summer. I am more worried about the trees...grass can be replaced pretty easily if it comes to that! Don't be messin' with my trees!!!