Cedar Park & Leander - Community Impact Newspaper
Cedar Park & Leander - Community Impact Newspaper
Cedar Park & Leander - Community Impact Newspaper
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Joseph M. de Leon<br />
Environmental Report | Water conservation<br />
Water recedes from a strip of land normally submerged when Lake Travis was full in this August 2009 photo. The lake level was about 632 feet. The lake<br />
measured nearly 50 feet deeper in early May 2010 after a series of wetter than normal months.<br />
By Joseph M. de Leon<br />
Officials in the region hope<br />
the year’s wet start has caused<br />
residents to water outdoors<br />
less often; however, leaders will<br />
continue to encourage water<br />
conservation. Weather patterns<br />
are difficult to predict and a<br />
drought can happen anytime.<br />
Lower Colorado River<br />
Authority<br />
On April 30, Lower Colorado<br />
River Authority officials<br />
launched its “Don’t be fooled<br />
by a full Lake Travis” campaign<br />
and announced a streamlined<br />
watering schedule for its users<br />
in Austin and <strong>Cedar</strong> <strong>Park</strong>.<br />
Water schedule<br />
Effective immediately, residential<br />
water customers will follow a<br />
twice-a-week watering schedule.<br />
Customers can water as<br />
needed only before 10 a.m. or<br />
after 7 p.m.<br />
Odd-numbered addresses<br />
water on Wednesdays and<br />
Saturdays; even-numbered<br />
UNRESOLVED THYROID?<br />
addresses water on Thursdays<br />
and Sundays<br />
The watering schedule is<br />
mandatory in Austin and voluntary<br />
in <strong>Cedar</strong> <strong>Park</strong>.<br />
Lake level campaign<br />
The effort lists and addresses<br />
top ways customers waste water<br />
as a way to teach people how<br />
much water and money they<br />
can save by fixing leaky fixtures,<br />
following the watering schedule<br />
and repairing broken sprinkler<br />
heads.<br />
• Fixing a leaky faucet can save 3,000<br />
gallons a year<br />
• Repairing a broken sprinkler head<br />
can save hundreds of gallons per<br />
watering<br />
• A leaky toilet can waste up to 200<br />
gallons a day, and is the top water<br />
waster inside the home<br />
• Following the water schedule<br />
can reduce water use by about 25<br />
percent<br />
• Call 3-1-1 to report water schedule<br />
violations<br />
<strong>Cedar</strong> <strong>Park</strong><br />
The city is in its third year of<br />
participating in Water IQ, the<br />
• Fatigue/Low Energy<br />
• Unexplained weight gain<br />
• Diffi culty losing weight<br />
• Morning headaches<br />
• Depression<br />
state’s water conservation campaign.<br />
The effort aims to reduce<br />
water consumption, promote<br />
the watering schedule, educate<br />
consumers about the natural<br />
water source and help residents<br />
understand water planning in<br />
<strong>Cedar</strong> <strong>Park</strong>.<br />
Toilet replacement<br />
In April, city officials<br />
launched a toilet replacement<br />
program in partnership with<br />
the Lower Colorado River<br />
Authority that expires May 30.<br />
Visit www.cedarparktx.us to<br />
apply.<br />
• Water accounts must be in good<br />
standing and houses built before<br />
1992<br />
• Qualifying households will be eligible<br />
for two low-flow toilets that can save<br />
up to 5,000 gallons per year per toilet<br />
compared to traditional toilets<br />
• Residents are responsible for pickup<br />
and installation of toilets<br />
Media campaign<br />
In addition to print, online<br />
and movie theater ads included<br />
in past campaigns, the Water<br />
IQ promotion for 2010 includes<br />
new features. Visit<br />
• Constipation<br />
• Thinning or brittle hair<br />
• Always feelings cold<br />
• Poor circulation in<br />
hands and feet<br />
• Anxiety<br />
• Night sweats<br />
• Insomnia<br />
When lab tests are normal and symptoms persist,<br />
further investigation is warranted.<br />
Dr. Thomas Culleton, DC, DACNB has released a DVD<br />
explaining his comprehensive approach to supporting<br />
and managing patients with hypothyroid symptoms.<br />
To receive your FREE DVD, contact:<br />
www.UnresolvedThyroid.com • 1-888-5THYROID • UnresolvedThyroid@gmail.com<br />
www.wateriqknowyourwater.<br />
org/cedarpark.<br />
The Water IQ website includes<br />
details about water, such as<br />
information on the region’s<br />
water source, how the Highland<br />
Lakes work and why lake levels<br />
matter.<br />
Updated questions are online<br />
so website visitors can take a<br />
quiz to find out their Water IQ.<br />
Water customers will continue<br />
to receive water conservation<br />
tips in utility bills.<br />
Children’s promotion<br />
In an effort to reach every<br />
member of the family and<br />
encourage conservation for<br />
future water customers, city<br />
officials will target elementary<br />
students.<br />
Water conservation will be<br />
featured in the <strong>Cedar</strong> <strong>Park</strong> Public<br />
Library’s Summer Reading<br />
Program.<br />
<strong>Cedar</strong> <strong>Park</strong>’s Camp Timberwolf<br />
will educate elementaryage<br />
children throughout <strong>Leander</strong><br />
Independent School District<br />
during Water Week, in late May.<br />
For details, call 401-5000 or<br />
visit www.cedarparktx.us.<br />
<strong>Leander</strong><br />
City Engineer Wayne Watts<br />
said a water shortage in 2009<br />
contributed to about a 25 percent<br />
reduction in overall water<br />
use. During about a 70-day<br />
stretch in the summer, daily<br />
temperatures stayed above 100<br />
degrees, which killed most<br />
lawns causing residents to<br />
reduce outdoor watering.<br />
Other water conserving<br />
factors include:<br />
Water usage in <strong>Leander</strong> is relatively<br />
low compared to neighboring<br />
cities because about 76<br />
percent of <strong>Leander</strong>’s estimated<br />
31,000 residences have been<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Community</strong> <strong>Impact</strong> <strong>Newspaper</strong> • impactnews.com May 2010 | 39<br />
built since 2000, allowing most<br />
to have modern, water-efficient<br />
fixtures and toilets,<br />
In 2007, <strong>Leander</strong> council<br />
mandated all new construction<br />
must use 1.3-gallon flush toilets,<br />
cannot plant Saint Augustine<br />
grass and must have at least 6<br />
inches of top soil, which helps<br />
reduce water loss.<br />
Water bills inform customers<br />
of water restrictions and<br />
encourage users to follow voluntary<br />
water restrictions, which<br />
are in effect April through<br />
September; customers should<br />
water on a five-day cycle before<br />
10 a.m. or after 7 p.m.<br />
For details, call 528-2700 or<br />
visit www.leandertx.org.<br />
Williamson County Extension<br />
The Texas A&M University<br />
System affiliate encourages the<br />
Earth-Kind Environmental<br />
Stewardship Program, which<br />
uses techniques developed at the<br />
university to design gardens and<br />
landscapes that preserve and<br />
protect the environment.<br />
Techniques recommended for<br />
designing a garden include:<br />
• Start with a plan: sketch out areas for<br />
different types of landscaping, set a<br />
budget and consider maintenance.<br />
• Use native or adapted plants that<br />
require less water, need fewer<br />
changes in soil condition, need little<br />
or no fertilizer and are more tolerant<br />
of the extreme Texas environment.<br />
• Consider Zoysia grass, buffalo grass<br />
or Centipede grass for its low water<br />
requirements.<br />
• Use a compost and expanded shale<br />
mixture covered with mulch to<br />
reduce water use.<br />
Call 943-3300 or visit<br />
http://williamson-tx.tamu.edu.<br />
Hill Country Water Gardens, 1407 N.<br />
Bell Blvd., <strong>Cedar</strong> <strong>Park</strong>, offers expanded<br />
shale. Call 260-5050 or visit<br />
www.hillcountrywatergardens.com.