Drought Update, Water Restrictions, and Hot Rain: Water News Summary 9/4/12

Lake Travis is only around 45% full (or should I say “empty”)

Water News Summary for the Week of September 4, 2012

• 25 water saving habits that you should be doing already, but if not, its a great time to start
• Hot Rain? Sounds like some bad ’80s band but its not… World record temperature of 115 degrees Fahrenheit was set during rainstorm in a California town.
• 3 Kansas farmers got caught running their irrigation water meters backwards. Manufacturers, why is this even possible? Seems like something can be designed into the water meter to prevent this like a check valve of sorts?
• New NRDC study found that by installing green roofs and cool roofs in southern California alone could be the same as removing 91,000 cars from road per year.
• Study by Dr. Peter Coombes found that removing the requirement of installing rainwater harvesting tanks in new Australian homes will increase the water cost by $23/month per home.
• The US needs a national water policy that incorporates forecasts, trading mechanisms, options, & wise management.
• The US drought could spur civil unrest and riots around the world. Droughts toppling dictators!
• Recognizing that natural systems are vital to our economies and have financial values, it is possible to put it into the economic analysis.
• Austin, Texas, declares Stage 2 water restrictions on September 4th.  Now we are back to watering only one day a week.
• While we are at it, Marble Falls, Texas, also declares Stage 2 water restrictions.
• The Edwards Aquifer Authority as declared Stage III pumping restrictions for Texas State University.
• A super-duper drought update post for Austin, but our good friend, Chris Searles.

Video of the week

Here is a recorded webinar entitled “Rainwater Harvesting for Wildlife” which was hosted by the Texas Parks & Wildlife and presented by Billy Kniffen of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. It is about an hour long and it has many great points. Bookmark this page to come back to view it if you don’t have the time now.