Gov. Perry Renews Proclamation Extending Drought Emergency

Rick Perry, Governor of the State of Texas, issued an Emergency Disaster Proclamation on July 5, 201I, certifying that exceptional drought conditions posed a threat of imminent disaster in specified counties in Texas. 

18th day of May, 2012, Governor Perry renewed the disaster proclamation and directs that all necessary measures, both public and private be implemented to meet that threat.

This state of disaster includes the counties of Andrews, Aransas, Archer, Armstrong, Atascosa, Austin, Bailey, Bandera, Bastrop, Baylor, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Borden, Brazona, Brewster, Briscoe, Brooks, Brown, Bumet, Caldwell, Callahan, Cameron, Carson, Castro, Childress, Clay, Cochran, Coke,…

Water in the Creek, Progress in the Garden

 by Celia Hayes

Well, it’s been another quiet week in Spring Creek Forest, the little suburb that time forgot… I am improving my little patch of it as fast as I can and as the growing season allows. We were assisted last week by rain… lots and lots of rain. There actually was running water in Salado Creek. And since it was running over the path, we needed to wade through it – up to our shins, and with a perceptible current, too. Yes, we like to walk on the wild side, what with the mad risk-taking and all. The Weevil thoroughly enjoyed a romp through the water, and when she flushed a couple of…

 Soil Aeration and Compost Top Dressing Your Lawn

by Randy Watson

Much of San Antonio has dense clay soils that begin heavy and may be further compacted from heavy use from play, sports activities and pets. Roots require oxygen to grow and absorb nutrients and water. Compacted soils reduce the amount of air and water within the soil. This results in poor top growth and lawn deterioration. Core aeration is recommended to maintain a healthy lawn and can benefit your lawn by allowing for the increasing water, nutrient and oxygen movement into the soil. From personal experience I can also say that aeration and top dressing with compost kept my lawn much healthier through last summer's drought and a healthy lawn helps choke out the weeds,…

City of Waters

It only makes sense that San Antonio would be most famous for – after the Alamo – for the Riverwalk. The downtown landscaped banks of the San Antonio River are a tourist draw without peer. Less well-frequented, or newer developments – say, through King William and Southtown, or along the new Pearl Brewery-Museum Reach are a secret and treasured green-space as well as a breath of fresh air for residents.

The existence of the San Antonio River is more than just a happy coincidence and landscaping opportunity; when San Antonio began to expand and industrialize in the late 19th century, the river provided power for establishments like C.H. Guenther's Pioneer flour mill – as well as power and a necessary ingredient for breweries…

The Edwards Aquifer - San Antonios Primary Water Source

Written by Randy Watson, Texas Real Estate Agent with Mission Realty

So, just what is this Edwards Aquifer that I hear so much about? And why is the level of the Edwards Aquifer important enough to post everyday along with the weather. SAWS, the San Antonio Water System, supplies nearly 2 million people in surrounding San Antonio homes and businesses with clean drinking water, primarily from the Edwards Aquifer. Our area lakes are not used by the City of San Antonio as reservoirs to supply drinking water. 

The Edwards Aquifer is an underground body of water with sufficient pressure to be considered an artesian aquifer. Not so much like a river or lake or some other body of water you…

What's That?

By Julia Hayden

That sprinkle of damp stuff, seeming to fall out of the darkest clouds in the sky  . . .  oh, yeah. They call that stuff rain – that is, when there is slightly more of it than fell on Saturday morning, courtesy of a few stray clouds from the weakest tropical storm ever to hit the South Coast of Texas.  We were watching the weather reports all this week, looking at the charts and radar, and licking our lips, thinking 'Rain – glorious rain! This weekend, Saturday morning at the earliest! Maybe even Friday evening! And no, if it comes with high winds, it's cool – we can adjust  . . .  as long as it brings rain!"  I swear, if the alphabet for tropical storms weren't already established, they could have called…

Canyon Lake

Upon moving to San Antonio fifteen years ago, I had always wondered – in a perfunctory and mildly curious way – why there would be so many boats and wave-runners around. Such watercraft would be parked on a trailer in the street, or in a driveway, or moving purposefully down the road behind a pick-up truck – and I would be wondering where they were going, actually. We are too far from the coast, and as charming as the various local rivers are, unless they are in 100-year flood, there’s no scope for floating anything larger than an inner-tube on them. And slightly later, I realized that – that damming of various upstream and down from San Antonio had produced lakes sufficient for…

San Antonio Water System (SAWS) Reports: Stage One Water Restrictions? No problem.

As you've likely heard by now, Stage One watering rules are in effect. While some may consider drought restrictions to be a bad thing, you – our loyal subscribers – know it simply means making a few adjustments to your watering schedule.

The advice in this newsletter is designed to help you maintain a landscape that weathers dry conditions and restrictions, so there's no need to despair.

During Stage One restrictions:

• Watering your lawn with an irrigation system or hose-end sprinkler is allowed once a week on your assigned day, before 10 a.m. or after 8 p.m. (No drastic change here since our…

Where does all my water go?

Click to enlarge photos

We use water around our homes to cook and clean, bathe and shower, wash our hands, flush the toilets, wash the cars, water the garden and lawn and countless other things we may even take for granted.

How much water gets wasted? Think about water leaks in and around your house. Let's look for visual or obvious leaks. First, walk around inside your house to make sure you aren't using water somewhere. Check for dripping faucets and running toilets.Look for water dripping and ponding under the sinks and around the toilets. Then check your faucets outside to make sure they are shut off, too.

If you have a dripping faucet, try to turn the faucet to stop the…

Annual Festival of Flowers

Follow me on Twitter @satx_randy

May 29 (Sat) 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

The 13th Annual Festival of Flowers is San Antonio's most exciting gardening-exclusive event. Presented by SAWS (the San Antonio Water System). The SAWS-sponsored event features a plant giveaway, landscaping workshops, and plant sale. Also, get landscaping ideas and expert advice on gardening and outdoor living environments. Don't miss out on the cooking demonstrations and wine tastings.

It's a day of informative seminars and shopping for plants, landscape materials and gardening accessories. It's a time to swap plants and seeds at the City-Wide Plant Exchange — the largest exchange in the state.

See…