Landscape Management, September 2009

Time to act is now Everyone in Texas it seems understands the stakes But Mab ltll an asks do these entities have the will and foresight to spend the money to address its water needs So f 1r cities have been spending money on what they see as sexier projects he says Theres nothing more 1 l 1 to our st te than water Consider this IV lming from the Texas v Jter Development Boords 2007 State oVater Plan If Texas dces not implement new water supply projects or man lgenlent strategies then homes businesses and agriculture emerprises throughout the state are projected to need an additional 37 million acre feet of Iter in 2010 By 2030 this figure rises to nearly 59 million acre feet and by 2060 it incre lSCS to 88 million acre feet In 2060 slightly more than 85 of the states population is projeaed to hal C Iter needs Note an acre foot of wattT 32585 14 gallons In light of the rea lization the Stlltes future economic health is dependem upon adequate suppliesoffresh lI Iter a sense of urgency iscreeping into the states often discussed plans to construct more lakes for surfuce water cap WATER WISE 2009 mer south centr ll Texas By August 20 of the stllte exllCriencing extraordinary drought reminding some old rimers of the withering 7 yC lr 1948 195 5 drought of record that C1used huge losses to the states agriculrure and li e ltock San Antonio in sooth rentral Texas sits at Ground Zero of the CUTrem drought Visitors to th is the 5e CI th largest city in the United StateS ClnnOt appreciate the severity of the drought by tooring its two most popular dcstin ltions the Alamo the historic shrine featuring twO verdant acres of grass and gardens and i world famous RivcrwalL Sitting at an outside cafe and watching flat Ixmomed ri Crboots filled with toorists leisurely motoring by one can be forgiven for not guessing the engineered waterway snaking justbclow the bustling city overhead replaced the original San Antonio River loog ago The progressi n San Antonio Water System SA OVS provides Iter to more than 12 million customers and aggressi ely protects the regions prim uy source of fresh water the Edwards Aquifer Predictably the drought has caused SAWS to limit bndscaJlC irrigation to a single day a week For the most part the EVERYONE IS STRUGGLING WITH WHATS BASICALLY A Green Industry is 3 bpting and works closely with SAvVS says Mich ael Brown owner of The Grass is Greener Landscape Inc 8 6 W WEDRT6tJGHT Jerry Maldonado vice presidoot of construction and ronvnercial irrigation Maldonado Nursery aoo landscapinog rure and storage and also to consider desalination plants on its Gulf Coast Fueling that urgency like kerosene on a bonfire is a de 3stating drought now approaching its thi rd yC lr which this summer teamed up with weeks of triple digit temperarures to hamand past president of the San Antonio Irrigation Association San Antonio offers more than its share of challenges to the Green Industl thanks to an incredible range ofbndSC l1 CS from older designs loaded with subtropiCils to more recently installed drooght tolerant xeriscaJ C5 Brol1 II 16 lANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET SEPTEMBER 2009