Local businesses finding ways to adapt to dry, hot conditions

For many Georgetown residents, the 3 inches of rainfall between July 14 and 17 was a welcome occurrence. For some local businesses that depend on gardens, it was even more appreciated.

"The rain we got was amazing," said Michelle Akindiya, The Monument Caf and El Monumento Restaurant garden manager.

Akindiya uses drip irrigation systems to water about two city blocks worth of gardens about three times a week. With the help of the July rainfall she turned off the spigots for more than a week.

In the grand scheme of drought in Central Texas, however, about 3 inches of rain means little in terms of drought conditions improving.

"By no means did the rain we got get us out of the drought," said Brad Burnett, Brazos River Authority Water Services manager. "In Williamson County itself, [rain] totals around Lake Georgetown were 2 to 5 inches. Lake Georgetown came up [3 or 4 inches] from the rain."

The BRA manages the systems of lakes that include Lake Georgetown.

A drop in the bucket

On July 12, Gov. Rick Perry renewed a proclamation that "exceptional drought conditions pose a threat of imminent disaster in a specified number of counties" in Texas, including Williamson County, and "[continue] to pose an imminent threat to public health, property and the economy."

Drought has been the standard state for Texas for 17 years, said Travis Miller, Texas A&M University professor and AgriLife Extension program leader.

"I've been working in drought and water for a long time. I'm not sure what normal is," Miller said. "We've had a fairly prolonged drought with intermittent good years. Since 1996 we've been in a pattern that's had a lot more dry years than favorable years."

Local response to drought

Although rain is appreciated, gardeners such as Akindiya have other ways of keeping their plants healthy in the hot, dry Texas summer.

"When we built our facilities, we took this water conservation issue very seriously," said Rusty Winkstern, The Monument Cafe and El Monumento owner. "At both of our locations, we use drip irrigation just to use as little water as we possibly can and get it right to the [plants' roots]."

Winkstern's gardens have been in place for three years, and Akindiya has managed them for two years. During that time, she has figured out ways to grow more drought-tolerant plants.

Watering under the mulch with the drip irrigation system, for example, decreases required watering days and encourages stronger plants, Akindiya said.

"If you just water at the surface, you're going to have surface roots because that's where the water is," she said. "When you water deeply, you encourage plants to root deeply to get water and be more drought-tolerant."

Mulch also helps prevent water from evaporating before it can benefit the plants. About an inch of mulch covers Akindiya's gardens' drip irrigation system. Another inch of mulch helps to insulate the soil from evaporation.

Akindiya also said she has experimented with plants that come from hotter or drier climates to find variations of fruits and vegetables that will grow well in drought conditions. Having plants that can produce fruits and vegetables despite the weather help the two restaurants, which feature locally grown produce, keep sustainable menus and stock the shelves at The Monument Market, she said.

Other agriculture-based businesses can benefit in the drought. Grapes, for example, are well-adapted to the heat.

"You say 'really good drought,' and people think you're crazy," Georgetown Winery owner Dan Marek said.

Marek said droughts provide more favorable conditions for vineyards such as his in Rockdale. Unexpected rains such as those the area received in July can have negative effects on the fruit, including making grapes burst from excess water or diluting their sugar content.

Marek also utilizes a drip irrigation system, though his is above ground. While the fruit is growing, Marek's vineyard is watered about three times per week. A few weeks before it is time to harvest the grapes, Marek will stop watering altogether, which results in sweeter fruit, he said.

"This year has been good," Marek said. "We had short rain showers come through [early on], and vines grow better with rainwater than with tap water."

What is needed

Burnett said as of late July, Lake Georgetown was at about 55 percent of its capacity.

"Something on [the] order of 7 or 8 inches of rain that fell pretty hard, pretty quickly would bring [the lake level] up in a hurry," he said. "In 2011, [the lake was] down seven feet lower than it is now. We had some heavy rains around the first part of 2012. [The lake] can come up 10 to 15 feet in one day if we have the right kind of rainfall."

Water has been pumped from Stillhouse Hollow Lake in Bell County for several months to keep water in Lake Georgetown, Burnett said. The cities of Georgetown and Round Rock as well as the Chisholm Trail Special Utility District use water from the Lake to provide drinking water to customers. Each entity has asked customers to conserve water by limiting irrigation.

"The main thing people can do is water conservation," Burnett said. "The time to conserve water is when you have it, not when you don't."