Website helps you water your yard and save money, resources
FROM STAFF REPORTS
MARBLE FALLS — Two organizations that know a thing or two about water and water conservation have joined forces to help Highland Lakes residents save not just water but money.
The Lower Colorado River Authority and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service have launched a web-based program that provides residents with recommendations for how long to run their specific irrigation system, if at all, to maintain their lawns without wasting water. And wasted water is a loss of an important resource as well as money.
Highland Lakes residents can go to watermyyard.org for local recommendations.
“A healthy yard needs less water than you may think,” said John Hofmann, LCRA executive vice president of water. “We are continuing to look for ways to help customers conserve water, and the WaterMyYard programs is a great way to use technology to help prevent waste.”
On the website, residents can enter some basic data such as their business or home address and some irrigation system information. Then, using evapotranspiration rates, or the total amount of water plants need to grow and develop, collected from a network of weather stations, the system can help residents determine how much, if any, lawn watering they need to do.
When a business owner or resident signs up, the program sends out weekly emails or texts with watering information.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service uses information from 43 weather stations across the state to monitor the ET rates. As part of the program, the LCRA modified six Hydromet gauges around Austin and the Highland Lakes to provide localized information.
The Hydromet stations have a new sensor — called a pyranometer — to measure solar radiation in addition to recording temperature, relative humidity and wind speed needed to calculate ET. LCRA officials said research has shown that using ET-based irrigation schedules can save significant amounts or water. In many areas, officials said, automatic irrigation systems often are improperly programmed.
The program is free to residents in the Marble Falls area. Visit the website above or go to lcra.org for more information.
editor@thepicayune.com