More Than Just Another Hot Texas Summer

By: Elijah Marshal

Have you ever wondered, how hot and dry can it possibly get? We’ve been asking that same question a lot lately. The Answer? Hotter & Drier. Now while this may sound and seem daunting; even slightly end of the worldish, allow me to assure you that it’s not all bad news. While the heat may be extreme, this type of weather pattern, known as drought, is common in Texas and it is expected during this time of year. That said, this year’s drought has the potential to become a severe drought, our most severe in fact since 2011, and we are even on pace to break that dubious record. Throughout this blog series we will provide you with drought tips and mitigation tricks, as well as a little bit of science and history, to answer some of the most common questions and myths about drought.

THE HEAT

With severe drought comes severe dry heat. There are a couple different ways to combat the intense heat that accompanies drought. We want to outline a couple of our favorite techniques, as well as precautions that you can implement as we “weather” this hot and dry season.

1.)   Close rooms that aren’t being used or aren’t used often; this includes closing the door and closing the vent and/or turning off the AC in these rooms in order to conserve energy. Closed exterior rooms will act as an extra buffer between the heat and our active living spaces.

2.)   Use shades or dark curtains on the sunny side of your house or office to prevent intense warming from the sun.

3.)   Be prepared to set your AC thermostat to a little higher temperature than normal, 76°F – 78°F should be a manageable range, and if you are still hot, use ceiling fans as well as portable or box fans to circulate air.

4.)   Make sure you’re not running the AC when it’s not needed. If you’re leaving for an extended period of time, turn off the AC! If you don’t want to turn it off because of indoor plants, animals, or concerns with humidity, turn it up to 80°F. If you have a programable thermostat, you can set it to cool the house back down a few hours before your return.

THE DRYNESS

The heat of severe drought has a twin, dryness. Dryness, brought on by lack of rainfall and hot desiccating winds, places increased stress on water resources, reservoir reserve levels, as well as streams and ponds. The lack of rainfall, combined with evaporation due to intense heat, does not allow for a substantial recharge of water into the ground. Coupled with increased evaporation rates of existing water bodies, communities can find their lakes empty and their wells running dry.  Here are a few tips and tricks to help conserve water as our water supplies dwindle and we battle this drought.

1.)   Utilize a pool cover. A pool cover is a great way to reduce the water refill cost on your pool, and most pool covers reduce up to 50 percent of the needed make-up water due to evaporation.

2.)   Limit showers to one a day and keep showers under 15 minutes, and in larger households under 10 minutes! To make good use of water twice, place containers or watering pots in the shower to catch wash water and use it to water your plants.

3.)   Water your plants with a watering pot rather than running the hose for an extended period of time. Place moisture saving mulch around the base of your plants and landscapes to help reduce evaporation.

4.)   Avoid flushing your toilet unnecessarily, and dispose of things such as tissues or dead insects in the trash rather than flushing them down the toilet. Wash only full loads of laundry and make sure your dishwasher is full before you run it.

Drought is a serious and at times alarming predicament, but as Texans we have dealt with and prepared for drought for generations. This summer, as we face yet another severe drought, remember to stay cool, be smart with your water, conserve as much as possible, and thank God for another day under the beautiful Texas sun.