In Texas, Drought Means Conserving Every Last Drop

DALLAS — Off-duty police officers are patrolling streets, looking for people illegally watering their lawns and gardens. Residents are encouraged to stealthily rat out water scofflaws on a 24-hour hot line. One Texas lake has dipped so low that stolen cars dumped years ago are peeking up through the waterline.

The nation's most drought-stricken state is deep-frying under relentless 100-degree days and waterways are drying up, especially in the hardest-hit area covering about 350 miles across south-central Texas. That's making folks worried about the water supply — and how long it might last.

"The water table's fallin' and fallin' and fallin,' like a whole lot of other people around here," said Wendell McLeod, general manager of Liberty Hill Water Supply Corp. and a 60-year resident of the town northwest of Austin. "This is the worst I can recall seeing it. I tell you, it's just pretty bleak."

There are 230 Texas public water systems under mandatory water restrictions, including those in and near San Antonio, Dallas, Houston and Austin. Another 60 or so have asked for voluntary cutbacks. Water levels are down significantly in lakes, rivers and wells around Texas.

Liberty Hill's Web site urges its 1,400 or so residents in all-red letters to stop using unnecessary water with this plea: "If we follow these strict guidelines, we may have drinking water." The town's shortage eased some with the arrival this week of 35,000 gallons a day from a nearby water system, but residents are still worried.

According to drought statistics released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 77 of Texas' 254 counties are in extreme or exceptional drought, the most severe categories. No other state in the continental U.S. has even one area in those categories. John Nielsen-Gammon, the Texas state climatologist at Texas A&M University, said he expects harsh drought conditions to last at least another month.

In the bone-dry San Antonio-Austin area, the conditions that started in 2007 are being compared to the devastating drought of the 1950s. There have been 36 days of 100 degrees or more this year in an area where it's usually closer to 12.

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Damn Al Gore!

And here in the northeast we have had one of the wettest spring/summers in years. As I type, it is pouring outside.

I remember that recently, Georgia had severe droughts. You guys will hopefully get relief from the hurricane season.

Hang in there.

Sorry texas I guess you didn't get the memo from the other threads that its not hot outside and nobody needs to worry about droughts this year.

This is a serious problem here in TX. I live in Austin, my water bill was $700 this month due to illegal watering. I have been away working for the summer and we got fined for watering at the wrong time and day with no warning. We also have had messages on our phone to boil our water before drinking from LCRA, our water company. Luckily we have an Ecoloblue water generator, so we aren't affected by the warning.

Ya think having millions of illegals in the state has anything to do with this water shortage?

All I can say is that I sympathize with your plight down there, Texans are tough, but it's no fun living through a drought in hot weather.

Hang in there!

Originally posted by Make Speed Limit 45
Ya think having millions of illegals in the state has anything to do with this water shortage?

Probably not. It has more to do with the weather not creating this thing called Rain.

Originally posted by whoshotJR

Originally posted by Make Speed Limit 45
Ya think having millions of illegals in the state has anything to do with this water shortage?

Probably not. It has more to do with the weather not creating this thing called Rain.

The point is we can't do anything about the weather but we can sure as hell make these illegals leave and that would mean more water for the taxpaying citizens. But... all our officials are taking bribes from Business to support the illegals.