Outdoor Conservation Tips

Outdoor Conservation Tips

Install Conservation-Friendly Landscapes

• Use plants that are easily sustained in the Texas Hill Country enviroment. Many colorful, easily managed trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses are well suited to the Texas Hill Country. For a guide on plants that are easily sustained in the Texas Hill Country check out our Plant List.

• Hardscapes can help conserve water because it's one less area of your yard that you need to irrigate. To learn more review our Hardscape List. 

Lawn Watering

• Water your lawn only when it needs it
  Overwatering the lawn is a common wasteful practice. Step on your lawn; if the grass springs back up when you remove the pressure, it doesn’t need watering.
• Water during the cool part of the day
  Any place of business with a ¾” or larger water meter: volume charge based upon the previous month’s water consumption for each connection.
• Set your irrigation schedule for the season and your local conditions
  Watering times will vary by season, climate, soil, and plant type.
• Replace sprinklers with drip irrigation when possible
  Use drip irrigation for trees, shrubs, and flowerbeds. Drip systems use less water and direct water where the plant requires it.
• Check your irrigation system often for broken sprinkler heads and irrigation tubing.
  Broken sprinkler heads wastewater and can potentially damage your landscape. Check sprinkler heads, drip system emitters, and lines for breaks and cracks.
• Install shut‐off nozzles on all garden hoses
  Make sure your garden hose has an automatic shut‐off.
• Don’t water the pavement.
  When your irrigation system is on, position sprinkler heads to water lawns and gardens, not the pavement surrounding your landscape. Tune sprinkler heads so that the radius of the spray is appropriate for the application. To minimize runoff, try to keep a planted buffer between the lawn and the sidewalk.
• Avoid runoff on slopes.
  Try to avoid planting on slopes (especially lawns). If your lawn or garden is already on a slope, you can reduce your watering times, so that excess water does not run off. Create basins around plants to catch water and prevent runoff.

Property Maintenance

• Don’t let the water run while washing the car
  Clean the car with a bucket of soapy water; use the hose only to rinse it off.
• Use a pool cover
  Pool covers will prevent evaporation and decrease heat loss, saving water and energy.
• Replace your swimming pool filter
  Sand and Diatomaceous Earth (DE) pool filters require backwashing. You can save up to 20,000 gallons a year by replacing these filters with a cartridge filter.

Other Helpful Conservation Links

Here are some links to sites with more information to help you conserve water:

• State Drought Monitor

• Save Water Texas

• Texas Water Foundation

• Take Care of Texas

• Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority – Drought/Conservation

• H2OUSE

• EPA WaterSense