Drought in North Tx

[CharlieTR]

This morning on the news I heard that serveral cities in the DFW area are canceling the city sports league for some outdoor sports like soccer, football, etc. This is due to the large cracks in earth on the playing fields, 3 ft deep or more. They are affraid of injuries to players.

I can't see why cities can't drill a well for this kind for watering. Yes, it might cost $25,000 but they have to do it sooner or later. They can't make the entire North Texas a lake just for DFW.

 

[jinman]

They can't make the entire North Texas a lake just for DFW.

Oh boy! I'm sensing some hostility here... Lots of people have "issues" with Dallas owning all water rights up to the Red River.

I've been watering my yard almost daily and still have cracks. Surface watering just doesn't get down far enough to soak the ground. I think you have to have several days of rain to really make a difference. It does seem that they could fill the cracks with sand though. Don't know...???

 

[Bird]

Jim, I don't know what kind of cracks you have in your yard, but down in Navarro County, we actually did have cracks in the yard in which you could have lost a golf club and never retrieved it. So filling them with sand would not have been an option. I'm trying to water our little yard now enough to keep the grass from dying, and watering around the foundation of the house, but at least this is sandy soil here that doesn't get those big cracks in the ground.

 

[texbaylea]

Bird

If you have sandy soil with a low clay content you have no need to water around your foundation. Our place is deep sand and I have never watered around the foundations since we don't get the expansion/contraction like you get with clay soils.

We have a "perched" water table - there is a clay leyer down about 30 feet that holds the water above it so we don't suffer as much during drought conditions. I did mow only once this year in anticipation of drought conditions.

I have also been removing unneeded/unwanted vegetation particularly junipers/cedars. Trying to save the water for my pines and oaks..

Boy is it hot outside - I don't work out there after noon.

Vernon

 

[Glenn9643]

I've been watering my yard almost daily and still have cracks. Surface watering just doesn't get down far enough to soak the ground.

Have you ever tried filling one of the cracks with water?
I left a hose running with a low drip on a fig tree a couple of days ago for two hours, and when I went back there was no sign of water around the mulch under the tree. Pulled the mulch back, and the water was going directly into one of the cracks.

 

[Bird]

Vernon, I agree that watering the foundation is either not needed or just not needed as much, but since the grass in some places and shrubs in others need water, I've used some soaker hoses around the house.

 

[sendero]

At my Grayson Country place, we got 2 inches this past weekend. But at our Dallas "most of the time" home, we got zilch.

I'm having foundation issues again, it seems like even watering every day won't keep a foundation on clay straight. I'm dreaming of the day when builders are required to build something that won't fail on 90% of their structures within 5 years. It's a joke.

The good thing is I have helical piers on that wing of the house, so they;ll just come out and jack and shim, somewhat cheaper operation than the $5k it cost to put them in

 

[texbaylea]

Bird
My only complaint about having sandy land is that building a tank would be horribly expensive. It would require a membrane or a heck of a lot of sodium bentonite. Even then it might wash out from underneath.

In wet years water is running out of the ground down near the creek that is our west boundary. I have another 10 ac piece that is east of us about 3000' (other side of the hill) and water runs ankle deep at the back in the wet years. This all the effect of the perched water table.

Vernon

 

[Egon]

something that won't fail on 90% of their structures within 5 years. It's a joke.

In clay soil that sees variable moisture content it is difficult.

The builders can install a foundation system that will withstand the clay volume changes but you will not like the price.

 

[BB_TX]

The cracks in the back part of my lot have opened up 2"-3" wide and with a tape measure I have measured up to 18" deep. Noticed some streets in town that are starting to crack and drop. Rain has been spotty all around. At my house, we have received less than 2" since 2nd week of May. And when we do get a little rain, it is baked off the next day by 100+ temps. We are torn between extreme drought, cracking earth, dying plants, and the need to conserve water. Seen Lake Lavon lately? And they are predicting 106 today.