Being a responsible neighbor (Houston, Dallas: credit, calculator, gated)

[TexasHorseLady]

You'll note, I'm not so big on people running traffic lights, speeding and pretending they're not doing anything wrong, either. In this drought, what he's doing, if it's as described, pretty much constitutes theft, and I've never said that someone shouldn't be penalized for theft, either.

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

You'll note, I'm not so big on people running traffic lights, speeding and pretending they're not doing anything wrong, either. In this drought, what he's doing, if it's as described, pretty much constitutes theft, and I've never said that someone shouldn't be penalized for theft, either.

Well, technically, it's not theft since he's paying for it, but it is breaking the rules and if everyone decided to break the rules and did what he did then there would be a severe water shortage for things like, say, drinking.

Could it be that this person is using a greywater system for irrigation? Probably not, but you never know.

[phone man]

My HOA, Goodwin Management actually fined one of our neighbors for replacing that strip of grass between the curb and sidewalk with rose bushes. They are saying he had to submit a request to do so to the HOA. They sent letters to tear out the rose bushes and return to original state. He did not, so now they are fining him.

[ATX Wahine]

We're in SW Austin, outside city limits by about 200 yards. I'm not sure if the water-loving neighbor uses any type of reclamation system or not so I just admire his lush green property every time I pass by ... lol.

My concern, living within a couple miles of the tragic Scenic Brook fire, is the severe fire conditions existing out here. We had a small grass fire in our neighborhood last weekend in fact and OHFD was ON it in a matter of minutes. We're truly blessed to have them so close by. I wish people would use their heads though, and just stop doing dumb things that start fires. Just my opinion, but it seems like many Austinites fail to recognize the very real danger of fire that comes with these drought conditions. Maybe I'm just more diligent because I'm the daughter of a forestry firefighter, but I'm flummoxed by the number of ciggie butts I see carelessly tossed from car windows. I work on top of the hill at Mopac/360 and we just had a fire THERE a couple weeks ago, most likely due to a cigarette butt. But I'm digressing wildly here, and I apologize ...

We're making due with our property by letting nature just run it's course, but we're actually seeing a pretty amazing fall garden developing - better cucumber harvest than we've ever had, huge tomato plants putting out blossoms, and little broccoli and brussels sprouts seedlings taking off like mad. Our pumpkin patch has at least two dozen pumpkins growing and the July watermelon harvest was superb, too. Making lemonade outta lemons!

[CarnivalGal]

I am watering on my scheduled days only. My sprinkler system goes off at 2:00 am, so the coolest time of day. Right now, I am just aiming for keeping it alive. Sorry if you think it's selfish of me to not want to spend thousands and thousands of dollars to re-sod later. And I have 1/3 of an acre. Even if I were to Xeriscape some of it, I would still have a fair amount of grass to keep alive. And forgive me if I actually LIKE grass as opposed to dust, rocks, and sand.

[cBach]

My front and side yard are green and lush, according to HOA regulations in my neighborhood. I don't have a sprinkler system in my backyard so I've let the grass go dormant. I do, however water the three large oak trees in the backyard by hand.

I'm not going to let my oak trees die, plain and simple. It can cost $1500 to remove a dead oak tree and then you replace a shady spot with full sun. No way, I'll irrigate the oak trees and keep them nice and green.

That being said, I have low flow shower heads and am thinking of replacing my toilets with low flush toilets.

[orngkat]

When did the lush green lawn become such a fixture in our culture? I have little old ladies on either side of me and both have vivid green lawns devoid of much else but what we call "ball bushes" in rows like little soldiers. Their yards look like well-kept cemeteries without the headstones. Why aren't we allowed to use grey water for our outdoor watering? It seems absurd to be using drinking water on lawns. We have let most of our front and back lawns go but are watering trees and plants to keep them alive. I guess we will go the Arizona route and replace large areas with crushed granite/gravel and cacti though it seems that might make things feel even hotter. Without shade, we really are toast. I was just thinking yesterday how much cooler it would feel without so much asphalt, development and concrete everywhere. I think we all know that nature will change for us whatever we refuse to acknowledge, ie she has the upper hand always.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by orngkat

When did the lush green lawn become such a fixture in our culture? I have little old ladies on either side of me and both have vivid green lawns devoid of much else but what we call "ball bushes" in rows like little soldiers. Their yards look like well-kept cemeteries without the headstones. Why aren't we allowed to use grey water for our outdoor watering? It seems absurd to be using drinking water on lawns. We have let most of our front and back lawns go but are watering trees and plants to keep them alive. I guess we will go the Arizona route and replace large areas with crushed granite/gravel and cacti though it seems that might make things feel even hotter. Without shade, we really are toast. I was just thinking yesterday how much cooler it would feel without so much asphalt, development and concrete everywhere. I think we all know that nature will change for us whatever we refuse to acknowledge, ie she has the upper hand always.

I recall reading an extensive discussion somewhere (can't find it this morning) about why grey water systems are not practical. Essentially it comes down to the plumbing code requirements in order to safely incorporate greywater systems into a house while eliminating the possibility of accidental cross contamination of the municipal water supply, is very expensive and requires back flow preventers and annual inspections to make sure they are working properly. These are mandated by State and Federal standards for providing safe municipal water supplies.

There is no question that installing granite/gravel over much of your yard would definitly create a hot zone around your house, very much like paving it with asphalt or concrete. You and the environment would be much better off installing shade trees and large mulched beds of drought tolerant native plants. In this way you are working with nature, providing habitate for animals, plants that reduce the heat island effect and produce oxygen, using plants that nature has evolved and adapted to thrive in this climate.

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

Originally Posted by orngkat

When did the lush green lawn become such a fixture in our culture? I have little old ladies on either side of me and both have vivid green lawns devoid of much else but what we call "ball bushes" in rows like little soldiers. Their yards look like well-kept cemeteries without the headstones. .

Well, I guess your problem will be solved when they die. If they're "little old ladies" now it might not take all that long. Aside from that, maybe they are just choosing to use what little water they DO use to water their plants. Unless of course, they are "little old ladies" with a houseful of people. Sorry, but the water the everyday people use in comparison to the gross waste of everything else BIG has me scratching my head wondering why we're so myopically focused. Perhaps someone will come up with a program whereby we can turn each other in for cash and stop the discussion. I'm sure there are lots of things we can come up with: using too much water, too many plants, not recycling, garage left open, parking in the street, too many cars in driveway....ahh, I can see the money rolling in now. OH WAIT! They already did!! It's call the HOA. Sorry, I forgot. Lastly, you're going to have to pry the hose from my "cold, dead, hands".

[TexasHorseLady]

And if enough people have the attitude of "you're going to have to pry the hose from my cold dead hands", that may actually come to pass after you die of thirst, you realize?

You take enough everyday people's use of water, and add it all up, and it's something pretty big.

Doesn't give the corporations a pass, but we do all have some responsibility there

We normally use about 6,000-7,000 gallons of water monthly. This past month, it went up to 12,000 or so. That's for 55 acres, with horses, cows, donkeys, people, cats, dogs, a vegetable garden all needing water.

How much do you use monthly to keep your grass green?