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Water conservation should be a high priority for The Woodlands

By: Kelsey Dunckel
| Published 07/19/2012

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THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- This summer’s excessive rainfall is a welcome respite from last year’s drought conditions, but residents need to be aware that there is still a need to conserve water in The Woodlands.

Residents need only water twice a week


“We still have a voluntary water restriction since the second week in June,” said James Stinson, general manager of The Woodlands Joint Powers Agency. “We shouldn’t be watering grass right now. With this weather pattern no homeowner should be applying irrigation water. It is unnecessary.”

According to the WJPA’s Water Odd Even website, the area wastes 300-600 million gallons of the drinking water supply.

“The native plant and grasses in the area should have one inch of water a week,” Stinson said. “It’s important for home owners to measure the rain we get and conclude how much water should be used.”

Automated sprinkler systems, both at commercial building locations and residential homes, will contribute to the flooding conditions, as the earth is unable to absorb any more moisture. The presence of mushroom formations is a good indication that there has been a lot of moisture.

“When there are signs of mushrooms after weather like we have had, it means the soil is very rich with nutrients,” Stinson said. “Watering too much creates a shallow root system, which makes landscapes susceptible to drought. The grasses are almost addicted to water.”

Residents and commercial property managers are encouraged to regulate automated sprinkler systems until dryer conditions prevail.

“Two days a week are observed to be adequate for local grasses and plants in periods of no rainfall in the middle of the summer,” Stinson said. “Outdoor irrigation waste is the number one problem in The Woodlands.”

WJPA has developed the odd and even schedule to help homeowners and commercial buildings conserve water. Odd numbered addresses water on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and even numbered addresses water on Thursdays and Sundays.

“There is a large part of our community who understands our water crisis in Montgomery County,” Stinson said. “When they see property owners ignoring the need to conserve water resources properly they get angry.”

If residents in The Woodlands don’t heed to the growing need to conserve water, the odd and even schedule may become mandatory.

“Our agency has held a number of focus groups with our local residents, and our community is ready to place an irrigation schedule for businesses and homeowners,” Stinson said. “I expect that to be adopted in the near future.”

Prohibiting watering during the day is another issue as well.

“I still see homeowners water during the day,” Stinson said. “It’s frustrating because there is high evaporation of water during the middle of the day and there is a lot of water wasted.”

Even though there has been a large amount of rain this summer compared to last summer, The Woodlands residents need to keep in mind that conserving water is still needed in the area.

“We have been expressing this warning for a year now,” Stinson said. “We need to conserve our water resources.”

For more information please visit these websites:

WaterOddEven.com

The Woodlands Joint Powers Association

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