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Protecting our most precious resource - Water |
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Whether you are a well owner, or a customer or employee using groundwater provided by your water supply company or employer, we all share responsibility for the aquifers on which we all depend. Below are suggestions for ways to conserve water in and around your home. Many of these actions can be incorporated into your daily life to use water wisely everyday. Indoors:
Outdoors:
For many more tips, visit the following websites. Also, please check the District’s page of links.
In 1991, Texas adopted the Water Saving Performance Standards for Plumbing Fixtures Act, which established low-flow performance standards for plumbing fixtures sold in Texas—toilets, urinals, showerheads, and faucet aerators. The Energy Policy Act of 1992 mandated plumbing efficiency standards nationally, including the 1.6 gallon-per flush ultra low flush toilet. This legislation has produced dramatic water savings. For example, replacing a conventional 3.5-gallon-per-flush (gpf) toilet saves 1.9 gpf or 54 percent. Some older toilets use as much as 5 to 7 gallons per flush. A study by the Texas Water Development Board estimated an amortized cost of $400 (including program and staff costs) per acre-foot of water saved by a utility-sponsored program of single-family home toilet retrofits. If these savings held true in Texas, installing ultra-low flush toilets in new construction and replacing conventional fixtures in existing homes would save 840,000 acre-feet per year, enough to serve the needs of 8,300 persons.
eClothes Washers
High-pressure
above-line discharge center pivot sprinkler systems had an irrigation
application efficiency of about 60 percent. Wind drift and evaporation losses
equaled about 40 percent. The irrigation application efficiency
utilizing the new technology is about 80 percent. Wind drift and
evaporation losses are about 20 percent of the water pumped. A
center pivot system, equipped with full drops, is known as a Low Energy
Precision Application (LEPA) system. This system can achieve irrigation
application efficiencies of up to 95 percent. Since water is applied at
low pressure in the furrow, wind drift and evaporation losses are virtually
eliminated. As a result, only five percent of the water pumped through the
system is lost. Most irrigators use furrow dikes and/or chiseling in the
furrow beneath the LEPA system to maximize the uniform water application. Mid-Elevation
Spray Application (MESA) applicators are located midway between the mainline and
ground levels. Water is applied above the crop canopy, even on tall crops like
corn and sugar cane. Low-Elevation Spray Application (LESA)
applicators are positioned 12-18 inches above ground level -- high enough to
allow for wheel tracking. Less crop foliage is wetted, especially when planted
in a circle, and less water is lost to evaporation. Micro-irrigation has gained attention during recent years because of its
potential to increase yields and decrease water, fertilizer, and labor
requirements if managed properly. Drip (Trickle) Irrigation Subsurface application of water aimed directly at the root zone improves
yields by reducing the incidence of disease and weeds. Germination of annual
weed seed is reduced, which lowers weed pressure. Water is conserved,
fertilizer efficiency is enhanced, and labor needs are reduced. In addition,
field operations are possible, even when irrigation is applied. The
formation of small earthen dams in the furrow helps conserve precipitation or
irrigation water that would otherwise run off the field. Water collected in the
furrow dikes is held in place until it can soak into the soil. Irrigation
criteria are the indicators used to determine the need for irrigation. The most
common irrigation criteria are soil moisture content and soil moisture tension.
Less common types are irrigation scheduling to maximize yield and irrigation
scheduling to maximize net return. The final decision depends on the irrigation
criterion, strategy and goal. Irrigators need to define a goal and establish an
irrigation criterion and strategy.
The importance of irrigation scheduling is that it enables the irrigator to
apply the exact amount of water to achieve the goal. This increases irrigation
efficiency. A critical element is accurate measurement of the volume of water
applied or the depth of application. A farmer cannot manage water to maximum
efficiency without knowing how much was applied. Also, uniform water distribution across the field is important to derive the
maximum benefits from irrigation scheduling and management. Accurate water
application prevents over- or under-irrigation. Over-irrigation wastes water, energy and labor; leaches expensive nutrients
below the root zone, out of reach of plants; and reduces soil aeration, and thus
crop yields. Under-irrigation stresses the plant and causes yield reduction.
Rainwater
Harvesting For
centuries, people have relied on rainwater harvesting to supply water for
household, landscape, livestock, and agricultural uses.
Island states and entire continents such as Collecting rainwater is not
only water conserving, it is also energy conserving since the energy input
required to operate a centralized water system designed to treat and pump water
over a vast service area is bypassed. Rainwater harvesting also lessens local
erosion and flooding caused by runoff from impervious cover such as pavement and
roofs, as some rain is instead captured and stored.
Thus, stormwater run-off, which picks up contaminants and degrades our
waterways, becomes captured rainfall which can then fulfill a number of
productive uses. More information about rainwater
harvesting can be found at
In most areas of the state, natural rainfall is not sufficient
to meet the water demands of landscapes. In urban areas of Texas, about 25
percent of the water supply is used for landscape and garden watering. Xeriscaping is a landscaping approach that conserves water and
protects the environment. Traditional landscapes may incorporate one or two
principles of water conservation, but they do not utilize the entire concept to
reduce landscape water use effectively. Xeriscapes need not be cactus and rock gardens. A xeriscape is an attractive,
sustainable landscape that conserves water and is based on sound horticultural
practices. Xeriscape landscaping incorporates seven basic principles which
lead to saving water: Planning and design: As with any landscape project, you should begin
with a basic design. A good design will incorporate your family's needs.
Group plants with similar water needs together. Keep in mind the mature
size of the plants you choose for your landscape.
Soil analysis: The addition of organic matter to the soil increases
water retention and penetration. Get to know your soil and amend it prior
to planting.
Practical turf areas: Design lawn areas for practical purposes: play,
maintenance access and light traffic. For some homeowners, a front lawn is
unnecessary and can be replaced with trees, shrubs, boulders and pathways,
or mulched areas.
Appropriate plant selection: Select plants that require a minimal amount
of supplemental watering. Chose a variety of plant species, and use
Texas-grown plants if possible.
Efficient irrigation: Many recent innovations in irrigation technology
enable slow, steady and specific water application. Water only when plants
need it and water deeply.
Use of mulches: Cover planting areas with 2 to 4 inches of mulch to help
conserve soil moisture and control weeds. Organic mulches, such as bark
chips, shredded wood chips or pole peelings, decompose and improve soil
texture but need to be restored from time to time.
Appropriate maintenance: Preserve a Xeriscape with regular maintenance.
A properly maintained yard is hardier and better able to withstand
drought, freezing and pest problems. For more information about Xeriscape landscaping, visit
Withdrawal
of groundwater from a groundwater bearing sand or strata or from a
groundwater reservoir at a rate in an amount that causes or threatens to
cause intrusion into the groundwater or reservoir of water unsuitable for
agricultural, gardening, domestic or stock watering purposes; The
flowing or producing of wells from groundwater or a groundwater reservoir if
the water produced is not used for a beneficial purpose; Escape
of groundwater from a groundwater bearing sand or strata or from a
groundwater reservoir to any other reservoir or geologic strata that does
not contain groundwater; Pollution
or harmful alteration of groundwater in a groundwater reservoir by saltwater
or by other deleterious matter admitted from another stratum or from the
surface of the ground; Willfully
or negligently causing, suffering, or allowing groundwater to escape into
any river, creek, natural watercourse, depression, lake, reservoir, drain,
sewer, street, highway, road, or ditch, or onto any land other than that of
the owner of the well unless such discharge is authorized by permit, rule,
or order issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality under
Chapter 26; Groundwater
pumped for irrigation that escapes as irrigation tailwater onto land other
than that of the owner of the well unless permission has been granted by the
owner of the land receiving the discharge;
For
water produced from an artesian well, waste has the meaning assigned by
Section 11.205 Texas Water Code.
The supply of groundwater to a surface reservoir of any nature (stock
tank, lake, vanity pond, or other confinement) which has a capacity greater
than 50,000 gallons is considered waste.
This does not apply to temporary storage of water for irrigation
purposes.
Underground
water shall not be produced within, or used within or without the District, in
such a manner or under such conditions as to constitute waste as defined in Rule
13.1 hereof. Water
shall not be produced from an abandoned or deteriorated well.
No
person shall pollute or harmfully alter the character of the underground water
reservoir of the District by means of salt water or of other deleterious matter
admitted from some other stratum or strata from the surface of the ground. Any
person producing or using underground water shall use every possible precaution,
in accordance with the best available or most approved methods, to stop and
prevent waste of such water. A well identified as an abandoned or deteriorated well, or a borehole, must be plugged, capped or re-completed in accordance with the requirements of the District and of any statewide law, agency or political subdivision having jurisdiction including, but not limited to, the Texas Water Well Drillers Act, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Use
For a Beneficial Purpose Agricultural, gardening,
domestic, stock raising, municipal, mining, manufacturing, industrial,
commercial, or recreational purposes; Exploring for, producing, handling, or treating oil, gas, sulphur, or other
minerals; or Any other purpose that is
useful and beneficial to the user and does not meet the definition of waste
as described in Rule 13.1 of the District Rules.
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