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July 2019

Being Smart with Your Water Sprinkler System

While July through September is typically the time in South Texas with the highest temperatures and driest weather, this year the region is headed into that stretch of summer with heavy rainfalls and more moderate temperatures. In fact, the timely precipitation has kept the entire Edwards Aquifer Region out of any kind of drought restrictions, and local water agencies are predicting that we probably will not get to Stage 1 restrictions this summer. So, how can you take advantage of that better weather to help your yard and your water bill?

First, with the heavy rains we’ve received over the past week or so, the ground should be saturated so any turf grass areas you have in your landscape will not need any watering for the next several weeks. And that should be the next cue for those with in-ground sprinkler systems. You should make sure that the sprinkler system’s controller is set to “off” to ensure the system does not come on and needlessly wastes water.

Overwatering is the greatest challenge water companies face in trying to get customers to conserve water. Irrigation systems and associated electronic controllers were devised to help homeowners save time and effort in keeping their landscapes looking good. However, each homeowner needs to use those types of systems responsibly. The first step in that process is to learn about how the sprinkler system controller works. In some irrigation audits TGR has conducted for homeowners, they have found the controllers set to run for hours at a time and multiple days a week. That wastes a tremendous amount of water. Then, you should know that the system does not go on while it’s raining. Some systems have rain sensors installed, but some do not. Additionally, rain sensors have a very short lifespan and need to be inspected (and potentially replaced) on an annual basis. Irrigation systems are a convenience, but can result in large amounts of unnecessary water-wasting and associated costs.

If you don’t have a “smart controller” yet, you might think about upgrading your irrigation system to acquire some of the time-saving and water-conserving features associated with the new devices.

While smart sprinkler systems might not be at the top of your mind, here are a few reasons you might want to look into them.

As the name suggests, smart sprinkler systems are tied to a person’s smart phone. The apps that go along with the systems are designed to allow you to run your entire irrigation operation from the palm of your hand. You can shut the system off when needed and adjust your watering schedule for the week or month.
Some apps will monitor the weather for you and adapt watering schedules as accordingly.
A few apps can be programmed with information about your particular yard. Then the scheduling component will allow you to set run times that meet the need of each part of the yard.
Smart sprinkler systems use a variety of measurements to determine how fast water will evaporate from your soil given the info you tell it about your yard. They can break up watering times into smaller segments automatically to help the water soak in and reduce run-off.
With the advance of in-home assistants like Alexa, Google and Siri, you would expect that irrigation manufacturers would allow your smart sprinkler to sync up with them. And so they have. Now, all you have to do is tell Alexa to “shut off the sprinkler system” and it’s done.

“The advance of technology seems to only be getting quicker and more amazing,” said George Wissmann, TGR General Manager. “There have been some very interesting developments in sprinkler systems just over the last year or two. But, keep in mind that there are tens of thousands of irrigation systems installed across the Trinity Glen Rose District and most of them are not of the high tech variety. So, we encourage homeowners and business operators to watch their water use each and every day. Wasted water is water we cannot get back.”

Get a Sprinkler System Audit for Free

One way the Trinity Glen Rose District (TGR) helps irrigation system owners ensure they are efficiently watering their landscapes is through a free irrigation consultation program. TGR partners with San Antonio Water System experts to come out to their customers’ homes to conduct a thorough water sprinkler system audit at no charge. TGR will even provide a $50 coupon for those living in the TGR District which can be redeemed for landscape materials and low-water-use plant materials. If you are not a SAWS customer but live in the TGR District, TGR can conduct the audit.

To learn more and to see if you qualify for the $50 coupon, visit the TGR website www.trinityglenrose.com/landscape.

Did You Know...

During the summer months, more than 50 percent of our drinking water is used on landscapes and yards. Horticulturists say that watering a lawn deeply and infrequently is the key to forcing grass and plants to grow deep roots so they can access water for a longer period of time and thrive through a long, hot summer.

More News from the Trinity Glen Rose District

Friend or Frenemy?

What every water well owner needs to know about their private source of water

At the end of June, the Trinity Glen Rose District (TGR) announced it was invoking Stage 2 drought restrictions as part of its efforts to stem declining levels in the Trinity Aquifer due to another streak of dry weather. The major component of each drought stage for water customers in the district is the reduction of time for landscape watering. The quickest way for homeowners to comply with those requirements is to become best friends with your sprinkler system’s controller.

“As part of our water conservation work in the Trinity District, we conduct irrigation consultations for homeowners who request them,” said Emily Green, TGR programs manager. “The one consistent finding we see from house to house is that the homeowner doesn’t quite understand their irrigation system’s controller. We’ve seen settings on those units that would cause the waste of tens of thousands of gallons of water in a m

Overwatering is the greatest challenge water companies face in trying to get customers to conserve water. It is a bit ironic that irrigation systems and associated electronic controllers were devised to help homeowners save time and effort in keeping their landscapes looking good. However, it does take some time and know-how to ensure that those systems are not wasting the dollars spent to achieve that level of convenience promised by irrigation products.

“In addition to incorrect settings on controllers that waste water, we also see people installing low-water use plants in their landscape but then they don’t adjust the sprinkler heads to provide less water in those areas where less water is needed,” Green explained. “The good news is that people are paying attention to our call to use more native plants that require less water to maintain. But, we need to get folks to take the next critical step in adjusting their sprinkler systems to provide less water in those zones. In fact, the goal should be to install native plants and hardscape in your yard so entire zones of irrigation can be capped. That will make permanent changes to the way a homeowner uses water.”

Over the years, controllers have evolved with technology. Today’s controller is the brain of an irrigation system. It can do simple tasks like turning valves on and off. New “smart controllers” can collect weather data and automatically calculate how long each station should run. The latest controllers can measure “ET,” which stands for EvapoTranspiration. ET is the amount of water that evaporates from the soil plus the amount of water that transpires through the leaves of the plants. Smart controllers can calculate the amount of water lost through ET using weather data collected from weather stations, or from historical ET data or satellite.

“Whether a homeowner installs the latest smart controller or is still using the old one that came with the house they bought, they still need to get to know that controller,” Green encouraged. “It will be interesting to see the how controllers evolve in the next few years. We’re already seeing new software apps give customers control of their systems from their smart phones. But no matter how smart and easy they become to operate, your water bill will still depends on how well you actually use it. And, we would add that the aquifers that supply most of the water in the San Antonio area will continue to depend on the informed use as well.”

Download the July 2018 newsletter.

TGR-SAWS Discuss News Study on Proposed Trinity Aquifer Pumping

Trinity Glen Rose District (TGR) staff met with San Antonio Water System (SAWS) water resources team to discuss a study that will examine potential impacts to Trinity Aquifer wells due to the proposed startup of significant pumping from a Trinity well field in northern Bexar County. The water withdrawn from this well field is targeted for delivery to a development in Comal County. The TGR/SAWS study should take about six months to complete.

This work is all part of the Trinity District’s due diligence in following up on this new pumping from the Trinity Aquifer in Bexar County. SAWS also withdraws water from the Trinity Aquifer to serve its customers in northern Bexar County.

TGR, SAWS Team Up to Study Potential Effects of New Pumping

As part of its due diligence in following up on a recent notification of a significant amount of new pumping from the Trinity Aquifer in Bexar County, in the Trinity Glen Rose District is partnering with San Antonio Water System (SAWS) to conduct a study of potential impacts from that pumping. The water withdrawn from the Trinity Aquifer in northern Bexar County is proposed for development in Comal County.

“Right now, the State’s regional groundwater modeling shows that we can safely withdraw 25,511 acre feet per year for the next 50 years,” said Trinity Glen Rose District General Manager George Wissmann. “However, we’re not quite sure what kind of impact that the additional 17,000 acre feet of pumping for this new development will have on other well fields in the area. SAWS also uses water from the Trinity Aquifer in this area, so we approached them about working together in conducting some new analyses on the issue. Both boards have approved the study and we hope to have some new data in about six months or so. We do have some data from a 2003 study, but we’ll be expanding the area we look at for this new review. ”

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) conducted a study of the Trinity Aquifer in 2000, which confirmed previous work noting that overpumping the aquifer could result in severe water level declines.

The map below shows the planned expanded area of the Trinity Aquifer that TGR and SAWS will study.

Several other studies have noted the vulnerability of the Trinity Aquifer to drought and increased pumping. One study from 1983 concluded that heavy pumping brought on by continued growth would result in rapid water-level declines in certain areas of the Trinity. In 1992, another groundwater study of the Trinity noted that withdrawals from wells in close proximity to one another had caused water- level declines, decreased well yields, and increased the potential for poorer quality water to seep into the fresh water zones. In 1993, additional analysis of the aquifer noted that groundwater withdrawals exceeding the groundwater availability would result in water-level declines, reduced well yields, and a possible deterioration of water quality in northern Bexar County. A follow up study by the TWDB in 2000 agreed with these conclusions.

“The Trinity Aquifer is not anything like the Edwards Aquifer, which most people are familiar with,” said Wissmann. “And since we can’t say for sure exactly how this new pumping will affect our district overall, we will be working with our regional partners to do more computer modeling of this area, looking at amending our district rules to safeguard the aquifer, and maybe even looking at potential legislation to help the district manage this resource more effectively for all Trinity water users.

“We have a lot of work to do on this issue and we’re pushing up our timeline for gaining more knowledge about the Trinity Aquifer. As we learn things, we will keep all of our stakeholders informed as well. We would also encourage people to contact us if they have questions or if they would like for us to meet with them about how this might impact their Trinity wells. ”

New Potential Pumping from Trinity Aquifer Draws Concern

Fifteen years ago when the Trinity Glen Rose Groundwater Conservation District (TGR) was established by the Texas Legislature, many of the water wells in use at the time were grandfathered from regulation from the district. Since that time, TGR has participated with other groundwater districts in this part of Texas in developing pumping goals for the region in order to protect and sustain withdrawals of water from the Trinity Aquifer over time. The one issue in this whole scenario is that a group of currently idle, grandfathered (exempt) wells managed by Texas Water Supply Company (TWS) could be put into service which would throw the entire management system out of balance. It seems that time has come as TWS has notified TGR that it plans to use 17 wells to support a new housing development just north of the district boundaries in Comal County.

“We have always been wary about that these Trinity Aquifer well fields being activated,” said George Wissmann, TGR general manager. “Right now our modeled available groundwater for the whole district is 25,511 acre feet per year. By staying within that withdrawal goal, we are projected to draw down the Trinity Aquifer by an average of 30 feet over the next 50 years, which complies with the regional water plan. However, the Texas Water Supply Company wells could add an additional 17,000 acre feet of pumping to our current totals, and that would take us way beyond our annual pumping targets. That could be a problem.”

The Trinity Glen Rose Groundwater Conservation District is located in Bexar County, north of Loop 1604, running from Bandera Road on the west to near I-35 on the east. Water withdrawn from the Trinity Aquifer in this area serves thousands of customers and hundreds of businesses.

“The Trinity Aquifer is not anything like the Edwards Aquifer, which most people are familiar with,” said TGR Board President Joe du Menil. “And since we can’t say for sure exactly how this new pumping will affect our district overall, the board has directed staff to work with our regional partners and other groundwater agencies to do more computer modeling of this area. We’ve also retained an attorney who specializes in law governing groundwater districts.”

Computer models are used to predict how much pumping can be sustained by aquifers over time. Since the Trinity Aquifer is more segmented than the Edwards, it is possible for pumping in one area of the aquifer to not greatly impact withdrawals in other areas. TWS says its studies show that large water withdrawals can be sustained to serve the housing developments. Other water experts aren’t so sure that the water will be there in a drought.

“We’ve already made contact with geoscientists, San Antonio Water System which owns Trinity Aquifer wells in the same area and our State legislators to begin learning more about the scientific and legal aspects of this new development,” Wissmann noted. “We have a lot of work to do on this issue. But, our plan is to keep everyone informed about what we learn and how that will shape the District’s future actions.”

Much Mulch is Much Better - by Calvin Finch

We have had several years of above average rainfall but so far this summer it looks like we might revert to a hot dry summer. In later columns we will discuss conversion of landscapes to increase blooms and reduce water use with plantings. But for now, if you have gotten use to reasonable water use and want to continue the situation without major changes, here are a few tactics to consider.

Use mulch in every situation where it will reduce evaporation from the soil. The soil is drying but it is still reasonably moist. Adding 2 to 6 inches of mulch to bare soil in the shrub border and in the flower and vegetable gardens will conserve the moisture in the soil to make it available to your plants rather than have it evaporate into the air. In addition to reducing evaporation, the mulch will reduce the soil temperature and reduce weed growth. A moderate soil temperature means that roots can function even close to the soil surface. The whole depth of the soil is available as a reservoir for the plant. An extra 2 inches may not mean much to plants growing in 3 feet of organic soil in Minnesota but it makes a big difference to plants trying to prosper in 4 inches of our alkaline, mineral soils. Similarly, reducing weed growth means that more of the limited water reserves in the soil are available for the use of your flowers, shrubs and vegetables.

Another place to use mulch this summer is over the root system around the trunk of young trees. In addition to reducing evaporation loss, the mulch reduces the growth of weeds, especially Bermuda grass to compete with the young tree. Based on research that elimination of the Bermuda grass may translate to a 30% greater growth rate for the tree! Do you need more encouragement? The elimination of the weeds near the trunk of the tree means that you or any lawn worker that helps you care for the landscape won’t be encouraged to operate the string mower near the trunk of the tree. A young shade tree wounded by the string mower or other equipment can suffer a permanent inability to grow at a reasonable rate. Compare the wounded tree over 5 years to an unwounded tree of the same species receiving the same water and the growth rate can easily be reduced by one-half.

My favorite mulch for flowers and vegetable gardens is live oak leaves. The leaves insulate well even at 2 inches deep, are easy to move with a rake, and make excellent paths. For deeper mulched areas double- cut cedar is attractive and effective. Shredded brush, pecan shells, and pine bark also work well. Use the mulch that is attractive to you and is available at no or a low cost. It is available in bags or you can buy mulch in bulk delivered from horticultural supply firms such as Quality Organic, Keller Material and New Earth Supply.