kepdawg
08-16-2006, 12:51 AM
HP goes after liquid assets
City sends conservation letters to those places where the grass is always greener
11:54 PM CDT on Tuesday, August 15, 2006
By KRISTEN HOLLAND / The Dallas Morning News
HIGHLAND PARK – The rich really are different. Harlan Crow's manicured emerald-green lawn, for example, is a far cry from the dying patches of grass in North Texas.
But apparently not even Highland Park's elite are immune from the drought. With the heat wave unabated, Highland Park is telling residents that water is a luxury.
And they're starting at the top.
The town recently called and mailed letters to the town's top 20 sprinkler users, encouraging stronger conservation efforts. The list reads like a who's who of Highland Park.
Mr. Crow, a prominent real estate investor, owns the No. 1 spot, sprinkling more than 1.8 million gallons of water a month over the last year on his 7.7-acre spread off Preston Road – enough to fill almost three Olympic-size swimming pools. (Per month, that water costs Mr. Crow $5,859.)
Highland Park
His father, real estate magnate Trammell Crow, has the No. 2 spot, using 1.1 million gallons a month over the last year. The Dallas Country Club comes in at No. 3 with 913,000 gallons.
Oilman Edwin Cox and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones round out the top five, with the latter sprinkling 512,000 gallons of water a month.
How much does the average Highland Park homeowner use? Residents average 27,000 gallons a month, including sprinklers and day-to-day use. The average Dallas homeowner, by comparison, averages 8,300 gallons a month.
Town leaders are careful, however, not to criticize any of the large estate owners. James Fisher, Highland Park's town secretary and director of public works, said it's hard to tell if they are using too much water because of the size of the estates. No one on the list has been cited for violations of town ordinances.
Jones concerned
Highland Park, like much of North Texas, has enacted voluntary and mandatory water restrictions.
Rich Dalrymple, a Dallas Cowboys spokesman, said Mr. Jones is as concerned about the drought as everyone else.
"When they received that letter, they forwarded it to their landscaping company, and cutbacks were made at that time," Mr. Dalrymple said. "The family is aware of the serious nature of the situation, and they're supportive of the city's policies."
No other individuals on the top-10 list returned calls for comment.
Bob Begert, Dallas Country Club spokesman, said that the club has a strong conservation program.
"In the hot summer months, we mow higher, which takes less water," he said. "We water a lot by hand. When we do water, we water at night and in the late evenings."
The club also uses recycled water from Turtle Creek to keep the fairways in shape, Mr. Begert said.
Highland Park United Methodist Church, No. 6 on the sprinkling list with 460,000 gallons used a month, tries to save water by not using sprinklers every day, said Kim Gifford, the church's communications director. Employees also check sprinkler systems for leaks, she said.
The town itself – No. 8 on the list – also is trying to save. In June, town employees adjusted the irrigation systems in the 22 parks to cut use in half. Highland Park's ordinance prohibiting sprinkler use between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. took effect Tuesday. Another ordinance bans homeowners from letting water from sprinklers run 20 feet down the street.
Highland Park resident Susan Albritton said that while she understands the desire to have a green yard, everyone must conserve water.
Though she hasn't been able to persuade her teenage son to take shorter showers, the Highland Park resident said she repaired a leaky toilet and now turns the water off when she brushes her teeth. "Which I didn't use to do," she said.
Elizabeth Gertz didn't crack the top 10, but she was No. 12.
"I had a leak in the back, and I didn't know it," Ms. Gertz said about the 278,000 gallons of water her sprinkler system used last month. "I'm finally getting it fixed. I really don't want to be a big water user."
An early-morning drive through Highland Park on Friday found dozens of sprinkler systems running full blast, sprinkling sidewalks and driveways. Some gutters were full. Water streamed down alleys throughout town.
Mr. Fisher, the town secretary, said some residents don't realize that they're wasting water because their sprinkler systems go off before they get up. Others set a timer to water the lawn every day and then leave town, he said.
Year-round surcharge
Bill Pollock, Highland Park's director of fiscal and human resources, said the town's proposed 2006-07 budget includes a provision to implement a year-round surcharge for homes that use more than 12,000 gallons a month.
Homeowners using more than 12,000 gallons pay a 30 percent surcharge six months of the year, but it's not much of a deterrent.
"They don't care what you charge them," Mr. Fisher said during a recent public works meeting.
Last week, the town's streets department issued 387 notices for excessive water runoff between 5 and 7:30 a.m. Officials delivered 108 on Friday.
"That's the most we've done," Mr. Fisher said after totaling the stack of notifications.
The door-hanger notices are warnings, but homeowners who ignore them could face fines up to $2,000 per occurrence.
Highland Park Mayor Bill White said money isn't the goal.
"We're trying to get them to reduce watering," he said.
It's not a moment too soon.
Town leaders say Stage 2 of their drought contingency plan will probably begin in the next few weeks. It would take effect should the level of Grapevine Lake, from where Highland Park gets its water, drop below 525 feet.
The lake level was 525.52 feet on Tuesday.
E-mail kholland@dallasnews.com
TOP SPRINKLERS
Rank Name Acres Gallons per month
1. Harlan Crow 7.7 1,805,000
2. Trammell Crow 6.1 1,111,000
3. Dallas Country Club 56.1 913,000
4. Edwin Cox 6.6 883,000
5. Jerry Jones 4.7 512,000
6. Highland Park United Methodist Church 4.3 460,000
7. Crestpark Inc. 3.5 418,000
8. Flippen Park 1.8 378,000
9. William Duvall 0.7 331,000
10. Bradfield Elementary School 5.7 326,000
SOURCE: Town of Highland Park
City sends conservation letters to those places where the grass is always greener
11:54 PM CDT on Tuesday, August 15, 2006
By KRISTEN HOLLAND / The Dallas Morning News
HIGHLAND PARK – The rich really are different. Harlan Crow's manicured emerald-green lawn, for example, is a far cry from the dying patches of grass in North Texas.
But apparently not even Highland Park's elite are immune from the drought. With the heat wave unabated, Highland Park is telling residents that water is a luxury.
And they're starting at the top.
The town recently called and mailed letters to the town's top 20 sprinkler users, encouraging stronger conservation efforts. The list reads like a who's who of Highland Park.
Mr. Crow, a prominent real estate investor, owns the No. 1 spot, sprinkling more than 1.8 million gallons of water a month over the last year on his 7.7-acre spread off Preston Road – enough to fill almost three Olympic-size swimming pools. (Per month, that water costs Mr. Crow $5,859.)
Highland Park
His father, real estate magnate Trammell Crow, has the No. 2 spot, using 1.1 million gallons a month over the last year. The Dallas Country Club comes in at No. 3 with 913,000 gallons.
Oilman Edwin Cox and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones round out the top five, with the latter sprinkling 512,000 gallons of water a month.
How much does the average Highland Park homeowner use? Residents average 27,000 gallons a month, including sprinklers and day-to-day use. The average Dallas homeowner, by comparison, averages 8,300 gallons a month.
Town leaders are careful, however, not to criticize any of the large estate owners. James Fisher, Highland Park's town secretary and director of public works, said it's hard to tell if they are using too much water because of the size of the estates. No one on the list has been cited for violations of town ordinances.
Jones concerned
Highland Park, like much of North Texas, has enacted voluntary and mandatory water restrictions.
Rich Dalrymple, a Dallas Cowboys spokesman, said Mr. Jones is as concerned about the drought as everyone else.
"When they received that letter, they forwarded it to their landscaping company, and cutbacks were made at that time," Mr. Dalrymple said. "The family is aware of the serious nature of the situation, and they're supportive of the city's policies."
No other individuals on the top-10 list returned calls for comment.
Bob Begert, Dallas Country Club spokesman, said that the club has a strong conservation program.
"In the hot summer months, we mow higher, which takes less water," he said. "We water a lot by hand. When we do water, we water at night and in the late evenings."
The club also uses recycled water from Turtle Creek to keep the fairways in shape, Mr. Begert said.
Highland Park United Methodist Church, No. 6 on the sprinkling list with 460,000 gallons used a month, tries to save water by not using sprinklers every day, said Kim Gifford, the church's communications director. Employees also check sprinkler systems for leaks, she said.
The town itself – No. 8 on the list – also is trying to save. In June, town employees adjusted the irrigation systems in the 22 parks to cut use in half. Highland Park's ordinance prohibiting sprinkler use between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. took effect Tuesday. Another ordinance bans homeowners from letting water from sprinklers run 20 feet down the street.
Highland Park resident Susan Albritton said that while she understands the desire to have a green yard, everyone must conserve water.
Though she hasn't been able to persuade her teenage son to take shorter showers, the Highland Park resident said she repaired a leaky toilet and now turns the water off when she brushes her teeth. "Which I didn't use to do," she said.
Elizabeth Gertz didn't crack the top 10, but she was No. 12.
"I had a leak in the back, and I didn't know it," Ms. Gertz said about the 278,000 gallons of water her sprinkler system used last month. "I'm finally getting it fixed. I really don't want to be a big water user."
An early-morning drive through Highland Park on Friday found dozens of sprinkler systems running full blast, sprinkling sidewalks and driveways. Some gutters were full. Water streamed down alleys throughout town.
Mr. Fisher, the town secretary, said some residents don't realize that they're wasting water because their sprinkler systems go off before they get up. Others set a timer to water the lawn every day and then leave town, he said.
Year-round surcharge
Bill Pollock, Highland Park's director of fiscal and human resources, said the town's proposed 2006-07 budget includes a provision to implement a year-round surcharge for homes that use more than 12,000 gallons a month.
Homeowners using more than 12,000 gallons pay a 30 percent surcharge six months of the year, but it's not much of a deterrent.
"They don't care what you charge them," Mr. Fisher said during a recent public works meeting.
Last week, the town's streets department issued 387 notices for excessive water runoff between 5 and 7:30 a.m. Officials delivered 108 on Friday.
"That's the most we've done," Mr. Fisher said after totaling the stack of notifications.
The door-hanger notices are warnings, but homeowners who ignore them could face fines up to $2,000 per occurrence.
Highland Park Mayor Bill White said money isn't the goal.
"We're trying to get them to reduce watering," he said.
It's not a moment too soon.
Town leaders say Stage 2 of their drought contingency plan will probably begin in the next few weeks. It would take effect should the level of Grapevine Lake, from where Highland Park gets its water, drop below 525 feet.
The lake level was 525.52 feet on Tuesday.
E-mail kholland@dallasnews.com
TOP SPRINKLERS
Rank Name Acres Gallons per month
1. Harlan Crow 7.7 1,805,000
2. Trammell Crow 6.1 1,111,000
3. Dallas Country Club 56.1 913,000
4. Edwin Cox 6.6 883,000
5. Jerry Jones 4.7 512,000
6. Highland Park United Methodist Church 4.3 460,000
7. Crestpark Inc. 3.5 418,000
8. Flippen Park 1.8 378,000
9. William Duvall 0.7 331,000
10. Bradfield Elementary School 5.7 326,000
SOURCE: Town of Highland Park