LCRA Water Conservation Programs

Jack Jones, Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA)
LMUD Open House presentation, May 23, 2024

WaterSmart Yard

Outdoor watering accounts for up to 70% of home water use during hot summer months

Jack Jones, LCRA

The key characteristics of a water smart yard include:

1. Quality Soil and Mulch. Good soil health is the foundation to keeping your landscape thriving, but also for water conservation. The soil must have adequate filtration as well as the ability to retain water. Aerating your yard will help plant roots gain greater access to oxygen and water to increase root penetration and help fill in turf cover. Composting turf areas will increase organic nutrients and further aid in keeping plants healthy and drought tolerant. Add mulch to any landscaped beds (rock can create a heat zone around your home and does not help with water capture). EPA has done studies showing that this can help reduce your water bill by 25 percent.
   • LCRA offers residential rebates of:
     • 50% of cost up to $600 per household for compost and mulch
     • 50% of equipment rental or contractor costs up to $100 for mechanical aeration
     • Up to $50 for a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension test, or 50% of the cost up to $125 for a Texas Plant and Soil Lab test.
2. Drought-tolerant plants and turf that are compatible with local soil conditions and weather conditions. Preserve as many existing trees and shrubs as possible because established plants usually require less water and maintenance. Adding native or adaptive plants are preferred; avoid invasive species.
   • *Update* Launched in July 2024, LCRA now offers rebates of:
     • $0.50 per square foot up to $600 for converting a minimum of 200 square feet of healthy turf grass to native garden beds or drought-tolerant landscapes. Replacement landscapes may not include any turf grass or automatic irrigation.
3. Efficient irrigation systems. Outdoor watering can account for up to 70 percent of home water use during hot summer months, according to EPA. In our area, our biggest supply reservoirs are lakes Buchanan and Travis and we see that the biggest users of water in our area are for outdoor watering and evaporation of the lakes. It’s important to follow your water provider’s watering schedule (new regulations allow for a maximum of two days per week even when the lakes are full), water before sunrise, and get your sprinkler systems evaluated to assess your sprinkler systems needs and check for repair needs. This can lower your water use by up to 30 percent.
   • LCRA offers rebates of:
     • Up to $100 for the cost of an irrigation system inspection by a licensed irrigator
     • 50% of the cost of various irrigation system devices (up to a certain amount for each device type) including pressure-reducing heads and nozzles, pressure-reducing valves and in-line regulators, soil moisture sensors, rain sensors, WaterSense smart controllers, and hose-end timers.

How Much Water Does a Lawn Need?

One of the biggest challenges in irrigation is knowing how long to run the sprinklers. A vibrant green yard might need less water than you think. In fact, it’s not uncommon for up to half of the water applied to a home’s landscape to be wasted, never taken up by the plants, leading not only to excess costs, but also poor plant health and runoff. Part of this is due to planning: a lawn’s water requirements vary throughout the year. In Texas, lawns go dormant in the winter, grasses begin to grow and use water in the spring, water use usually peaks in the summer (July/August) and declines in the fall. To conserve water adjust irrigation runtimes throughout the growing season and turn off irrigation during rainy periods and the winter months.

For example, in 2022, Lakeway received 17+ inches of rainfall. Lawns only required 9.75 inches of irrigation over a 25-week period. This means:

• 28 Weeks – No Irrigation Needed (water savings!)
• 7 Weeks – Only 0.10-0.24 inches needed
• 11 Weeks – Only 0.25-0.49 inches needed
• 7 Weeks – Only 0.50-0.74 inches needed
• 0 Weeks – 0.75+ inches needed

Watering needs can be calculated using local Evapotranspiration (ET) Rates: Evapotranspiration or “ET”, is the combination of water evaporated from the soil surface and water transpired by a plant. It can be difficult to measure directly, but can be calculated using local weather data, including:

• Temperature
• Relative humidity
• Solar radiation
• Wind
• Irrigation system run times

Most irrigators will tell you that you should provide one inch of water per week (one inch of water is 0.68 gallons per square foot). But, precipitation rates (applied inches per hour) for the different types of irrigation systems can range from 0.4 to 1.50+ inches per hour – a significant difference in the required runtimes so standards cannot be universally applied. The amount of water a sprinkler will apply varies based on:

• Sprinkler Type
• Sprinkler Spacing
• Manufacturer
• Operating Pressure

Thankfully, there is a free service available to help you maximize the efficiency of watering your yard based on your yard’s specific needs and irrigation system. The WaterMyYard program uses local weather data in sponsored areas to provide free weekly watering advice. LCRA sponsors eight Hydromet Weather Stations (one in Lakeway, another in Bee Cave) and sends the data to A&M AgriLife Extension office who runs the program. Using this collected data backed by research-based understanding of plant water needs it will send you (via text, email, or through an app) customized weekly watering advice for your specific lawn and irrigation system including suggested irrigation runtime per day and per week.

To receive accurate information from WaterMyYard, you will need to understand your irrigation system. Each type of sprinkler in your yard will apply water at a different precipitation rate and have different watering requirements. These rates can be entered manually, such as by conducting a “catch can test” or “tuna can test”, or by using the provided Precipitation Rate Wizard tool that will estimate the rate using Sprinkler Type, Manufacturer Brand, and Sprinkler Spacing.

Sprinkler Head Types:

• Multi-Stream: This is the most efficient type of sprinkler head. They have a lower precipitation rate and better distribution uniformity compared to traditional pop-up nozzles. They reduce water use and irrigate the landscape more evenly. A suggested type would be the Mp Rotator made by Hunter.
• Rotor: when they’re operating, they have a large stream of water that comes out of them and they rotate from side-to-side. They’re best suited for large areas, they’re good at handling windy conditions, and they promote even water distribution, however they require longer watering times and they may also require more maintenance periodically.
• Spray: engineered to apply water in a specific pattern and distance at specified water pressures. This type of sprinkler head is designed for watering small lawns, shrubs, and irregularly shaped landscapes due to their customizability. They have the highest winterization requirements.
• Drip or Soaker: tubing placed alongside plants. With drip, the tubing can be buried or above ground and uses emitters that slowly drip water into the soil. A soaker hose should not be buried and emits water throughout the entire length which takes longer to deeply water plant beds. While these methods can be a labor-saving, money-saving, and environmentally friendly way to water plants, they are not maintenance-free and do require constant monitoring for efficiency. They must run for long periods to provide deep watering (needed to promote root growth for drought resistance), they are prone to clogging (especially when used with hard water), and sun exposure can lead to product damage.

Drought and Water Conservation: Preserving our region’s water supply

The Highland Lakes supply water to over 1 million people in this area. Water supply continues to be stressed because of the ongoing drought. You can help by:

• Cutting back on discretionary water use
• Using less water outdoors
• Following the tips and utilizing the resources we covered
• Following watering restrictions from your water provider