Parts of Chile's Atacama Desert receive average annual rainfall of less than 0.004 inch, and some spots have not seen rain in 400 years. Before you get too cheery, know that some estimates say Texas water usage will far outstrip available supplies by 2050. Houston got pretty close last month. From July 16 to 21, we set new records for water usage and hit an all-time daily usage high of 555.6 million gallons. The Houston water system's capacity is 667 million gallons per day.
Plants get most of it.
Statewide, crop irrigation uses 65 percent of the water, and municipalities use 20 percent. The water bill here at Bedlam Manor is always our highest monthly utility, and there is little question that most of it goes into the landscape. It depends, the Houston Gulf Coast Irrigation Association tell us. The amount of water used by a plant, through transpiration, and the amount of water lost to evaporation are considered together as evapotranspiration. By xeriscaping, or choosing plants that require little water, you can reduce water usage 30 percent to 50 percent.