Home Irrigation – A Series in Three Parts

Dry times are coming!
Not really news for anyone who’s been down here for a while. Dry times follow wet times. A quick true/false quiz before we begin.
___ Texas allows all homeowners to install and work on their irrigation system.
___ If I hire someone to install or work on my irrigation system here in Rockport or Aransas County, they must be licensed by the State of Texas.
___ Information about native and drought-resistant plants can be found in the Rockport City Ordinances.
Texas allows all homeowners to install and work on their irrigation systems. You may be required to have a licensed plumber connect the system to the municipal water supply and have a licensed irrigator or technician certify the backflow device.
Let’s see how you did
Towns under 20,000 are exempt from the state laws regarding irrigation installers unless local ordinances require them. Rockport, Fulton and Aransas County do not require licensed installers.
You can find such information in the Rockport City Ordinances as well as whether they are native, freeze-tolerant and tropical look. Check out Sec. 106-35. As a side note, check out Sec. 106-33 where points are given for drought-tolerant plantings. Trees (2” or larger caliper) earn 20 points and grass earns a meager one-half of a point.
Next time
Installing or upgrading your own system. You might also want to note on your calendar the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Brown Bag talk on drip irrigation – 12 noon to 1 pm on August 20th at the AgriLife office, 892 Airport Road, Rockport.
If you missed Richard’s previous post check it out here!
Richard Snyder is a former biology instructor, past President of Aransas/San Patricio Master Gardeners, and current President of the Aransas County Community Garden