In Drought, Abbott [Texas (R) Gov Candidate] Keeps Lawn Green by Drilling
Source: Texas Tribune
With what has been described as the worst drought in recorded history punishing parts of Texas, Attorney General Greg Abbott found a way to keep watering his yard without risking fines or incurring huge monthly bills: He drilled his own well.
Now his lawn is green, and there are no pesky city watering restrictions to worry about.
He is not alone. Abbott, the leading 2014 candidate for Texas governor, has joined an exclusive and growing list of Austin residents. That list includes Ben Crenshaw, the golfing legend, and Mack Brown, the University of Texas football coach — residents who are coping with the drought and rising water bills by procuring their own private water supply underneath their land.
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Abbott installed his well a few months before the city began aggressively enforcing its lawn-watering restrictions, issuing at least $11,000 in fines since August. In Abbott’s upscale West Austin neighborhood of Pemberton Heights, where lawns are remarkably green, some residents have put up signs that read “Watering by Private Well” to avoid reproach at a time when most of Austin can water grass only once a week.
Read more: http://www.texastribune.org/2013/11/10/drought-abbott-keeps-his-lawn-green-drilling/
Nice to know that the Texas AG is being conscious of drought conditions by being creative in avoiding drought restrictions.
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by drilling, a city could also, but it would probably be cost prohibitive 
and the water dept couldn't get sky high profit. I'm probably missing the mark but people will starve or die of thirst before any concern would forego profit.
All it would take is just one idiot to toss out a lit cigarette butt, and ..........
Instant Karma????
He can plant his lawn in Buffalo Grass and Texas Bluebonnets* and skip the watering
for an unneeded and unnatural lawn. This is a perfect example of a republican who
doesn't "get it" and doesn't care who effects as long as he "gets his."
Guaranteed he is pumping the water @ a rate greater then the rate it is being recharged
at. This should help Wendy Davis get some votes because a lot of people understand
what it is to be dewatered by a neighbor's well.
* Buffalo Grass lawn
Texas Bluebonnets
I've never seen such a healthy uncontaminated swath of buffalo grass except maybe at the Natural Gardener. It's certainly no miracle grass, sually weeds creep in, requiring either hand pulling or spraying with herbicides and still requires fertilizer to look good. And buffalo is drought tolerant because it turns brown when water stress sets in, like most other drought tolerant grasses. There are some bermudas that have performed better than buffalo.
http://itc.tamu.edu/documents/2008FinalReportSAWS&TPT_s.pdf
In Austin the big trend seems to be using sedge lawns in shade or small patches of grass surrounded by gravel, mulch or decomposed granite. Pam Penick (penick.net) wrote a book called Lawn Gone, which has a number of alternatives to traditional lawns. Personally my favorite choices are either to use small patches of whatever kind of grass you like best (soft zoysias are very nice) or use large flat rocks with grass only between the rocks - when it rains the water runs off the rocks to the grass, enhancing the amount of water they get in a shower.
