131031 WATER MATTERS

During this time of the year we usually experience cooler and wetter weather. Irrigation systems should be running no more than one day a week; I prefer to leave everything off unless the weather is drier. Although most plants and turf enter a dormant phase and stop growing above ground, below ground their root zones are still expanding. Should temperatures decide to be milder, a one day a week schedule will provide adequate water to sustain it through the winter. Remember to turn the controller off if anticipating rain or freezing temperatures.

WATER SAVING TIPS

• ·         When doing laundry, match the water level to the size of the load.
• ·         Reduce the amount of lawn in your yard by planting shrubs and ground cover appropriate to our region.
• ·         Teach your children to turn off faucets tightly after each use.
• ·         Remember to check your sprinkler system valves periodically for leaks and keep sprinkler heads in good shape.
• ·         Soak pots and pans instead of letting water run while you scrape them clean.

131031 Eblast

Happy Halloween! We’ve had over 2.5 inches of rain this week. All controllers should be turned off. It’s also a good time to verify that rain sensors are working. Try running a manual test of your system. If it comes on, then either your rain sensor is not hooked up correctly, or it is bypassed. Contact your irrigation professional or a water ambassador if you are unsure.

With more rain forecasted next week, it would be appropriate to leave the controllers in the OFF position. Over watering during these moister, cooler days can lead to unsightly fungus and mold patches in your landscape. Also a reminder that controllers need to be set to no more than 2 days a week per the city’s request. I think we would be safe given our current and projected weather to reduce that even further to 1 day a week. If you would rather keep you program at 2 days a week, consider reducing the water budget to 50%, or half of your regular run time.

131017

Coming back to Sun City after a short trip to Arizona for my sister's wedding, it was really nice to be greeted with the cooler temperatures and abundant rain. Just for the month of October we have received 2.68 inches of rain and have had and accumulated evapotranspiration (ET) total of 1.78 inches. ET is a calculated value representing the amount of moisture that has evaporated and transpired from the soil given daily weather conditions.Based on the ET and rainfall totals, all irrigation systems should be shut off.

With the promise of more rain and cooler temperatures to come we can probably make it through the rest of the month without running our systems at all. Also I received word from the city that the 2 day a week watering restrictions went into effect on Monday, October 14th. Residents should receive official notification in the mail.

131003 October Plans

Having completed our goals for NH 46, we have moved over to Area 51. Our task here is pretty much the same as NH 46. We will be extending the fuel break behind the properties an additional 50 feet beyond the existing 30 foot break.

Along the creek at WWGC near hole 11 and the iron bridge, we have a tree trying to fall into the water way, as well as a fair amount of debris accumulation under the bridge.

130930 Irrigation Controllers

Well the rainfall that we were expecting landed further south than anticipated, but we did get some nice temperature drops. I will be turning my controllers back starting on Tuesday, Monday being a NO-water day, but I will only be running them at 50% of their normal run times. With the cooler temperatures, over watering can lead to fungus or brown patch.

130923 RAIN FALL

Depending on where you were in Sun City you received anywhere between 3 and 6" of rainfall according to my sources; at my office I received 3.75 inches. With that in mind those of you who haven't turned off your irrigation system, please do. There was enough rainfall to leave the systems off for the entire week if not longer. Forecasts for the upcoming weekend are hopeful that we will receive another round of showers, allowing us to leave the irrigation off even longer. With the cooler evening temperatures, it is also important to reduce watering to avoid fungus forming in the turf areas.

I also received word from the city that they are discussing reducing watering days down to 2 days per week. Your regular water days will not change, except that you will only be able to water on two of them. I would recommend that you omit the Thursday or Friday watering day as it applies to your address. When I receive something formal, I will post more about it.

NH 46

130913

We are currently behind the residents of NH 46 that borders CCGC Hole 7. We are focusing our efforts to extend the average fuel break behind these homes from 30 feet to at least 80 feet. In addition, we are removing all dead Ashe Junipers, and doing extra clean up along the sidewalk bordering this native area.

NH 46

We have also performed some creek and trail maintenance along Blue Heron Trail. We had a large dead branch overhanging the trail that was better removed on our terms than the trees. We also addressed a number of smaller limbs and piles while there just to enhance the overall view.

The Branch of Damocles, Blue Heron Trail

NH 7

130801

With the LHGC completed, we have relocated our equipment to Neighborhood 7. This is a karst (cave ) area, so our approach will be more environmentally sensitive. By state law, we are only allowed to do handwork within the vicinity of the karst entrance. The reason behind this is that these openings serve as recharge inlets for the Edward's Aquifer during rain events.

Here are some of images of what we had to face:

As you can see, there were quite a few Ashe Junipers and dead trees. In addition to the karst, another one of the challenges for this area was that this preserve is bordered by resident homes. Our crew leader extraordinaire, Charles Moore, worked closely with the homeowners here to minimize our impact and maintain their view of this native area.

130710 Update

I hope that everyone enjoyed the recent Independence Day celebrations. A very heartfelt "Thank You" to all veterans past, present, and future for all you do in the service to our country.

It has obviously been a while since my last update, so let me bring you up to speed. Cowan Creek has been cleared from its intersection with Berry Creek, upstream to where it enters the property. This finalizes the bulk clearing for all the creeks within our community which will allow for the most expedient flow of water out of Sun City after a heavy rain event. Kudos to the CA Logger Crew and contractor, Austin Wood Recycling, for an excellent job.

The CA Logger Crew has also been busy clearing the area north and south of the LHGC #1 tee box, beside the entry to the Legacy Hills Pavilion. We are expected to complete this area by July 19th. Here is an aerial image of where this located for better reference.

While we were working this area, Fire Wise leaders, Dan Dodson and Paul Ohlenbusch, coordinated a visit from KEYE, a local news station to promote fire wise awareness. The news team captured some premium footage of our clearing operation. The link to the newscast, which aired July 9th at 5:00 pm, can be found found here:
Sun City Gets Firewise

130503 Bobcat with Forestry Mulching Head

Here is a decent video of our Bobcat doing what it does best, eating Cedar(Ashe Juniper) trees.

130501 Essex Lane Culdesac Outfall

Today we are beginning a new area between Essex Lane and Sun City Boulevard, beside the water tower. There is a drainage outfall here that is thick with Willow Baccharis and Ashe Juniper.

Here is the drainage outfall:

130501 Mocking Bird Trail Parking Lot

The crew has cleared and constructed, with help from the developer, a golf cart parking area and trail entrance. It is located on Sun City Boulevard outbound, before Texas Drive, beside the survey trailer.

Here are some before and after photos:

130423 Fire Wise Volunteers

Good Day NH 40 and Firewise volunteers,

The CA Board asked that CA staff along with fire wise volunteers  address the area behind the homes that applied for a pocket park.

Looking at the scope of work we will need about 2 full days to get the area cleaned up. For details please see image at bottom of this email

Could you be available on April 10th and the 11th to assist?

Work items include:

·         remove any small cedars & Willow Baccharis (treat with stump treatment) along the stretch

·         limb trees up to 6'- remove mistletoe where we can reach it from the ground

·         remove invasive vegetation

·         remove any ladder fuels from trees (vines and briars)

The firewise volunteers normally work Thursday mornings.

CA staff will be on site from 9am - 12pm and again after lunch from 1pm- 4pm with chainsaws and the chipper.

Volunteers are asked to bring any hand tools for cutting small vines and vegetation. You will need long sleeves and pants, gloves, eye protection and a great sense of humor. CA staff will provide water.

We will need to watch golfers closely. We have seen some golf balls in the L4 area but it is my understanding that these come out of the sand bunkers.

catrin.dubois@sctexas.org

I believe the map is big enough?

130418

Recycling cedar limbs along the path at Mocking Bird Trail to better delineate the passage.

130416 Drainage Easement

With the completion of the LHGC Driving Range area completed, we have moved on to maintaining some of the drainage outfalls from the neighborhoods. We are currently working between neighborhoods 15 and 24.

Here are some before and after photos:

and couple more:

This maintenance will insure the expedient evacuation of rain waters to the creeks.

130312 Fire Wise Volunteers

In addition to finishing up along the LHGC Driving Range this week, Catrin's volunteer group will be continuing to focus their efforts behind 108 and 110 Red Poppy this Thursday at 9am.

Fire Wise Conference 2013

The Fire Wise group hosted a 2 day workshop and conference here in Sun City this week to limelight our  efforts to keep our community safe. The guest list was comprised of newspaper journalists, HOA managers, and forestry and public safety professionals. The event, which was organised and led by Dan Dodson and Paul Ohlenbusch, was a tremendous success.

My crew and I were the finale of the field trip tour which showcased the various stages of the Fire Wise clearing processes and participation. Our demonstration highlighted the use of the Bobcat with Forestry Mulcher attachment.

As my camera battery was spent, I would like to thank Maggi Jones, Sun Rays Production Editor,  for providing me with following photographs from our participation in the event.

130205 Pit Stop

Last week we ordered new tracks for the Bobcat Skidsteer as the current ones were wearing pretty thin. The terrain we operate on, typically a mix of limestone and flint, can be fairly abrasive. The new tracks arrived yesterday. This morning we had, for lack of a better term, a blowout. Thanks to Charles for knowing and understanding the limits of his machine.

With the new tracks...............

LHGC Driving Range 130130

Progress continues to be made at LHGC Driving Range. We estimate that we will be 40% complete with this area by the end of the week.

Here is a photo of the truck backing up the chipper into a new area of the site. You can get a good view of the thickness of the cedars behind.

This photo is from the front of the truck showing the area we have already cleared. That's a lot of mulch!

LHGC Driving Range 130123

Here is an aerial shot from Google Earth outlining the area we are currently working in.

LHGC Driving Range Phase 1

The total size of this space is approximately 4 acres. There is an abundance of cedars here, and we are making good progress. Here are some before and after images.

Before

After

LHGC Driving Range

Today we started a new area that borders the Legacy Hills Golf Course Driving Range. We have begun our task at the corner of Whispering Wind and Del Webb, and will be working our way up and behind the tee boxes for the driving range.

Here are some videos of the crew members operating the chipper at this location.

N13 400 Block

The area behind the 400 Block of Rio Grande Loop in Neighborhood 13 will be completed this week. Here are some before pictures.

And these are the after shots:

Progress through 2012

At the end of 2012, we had successfully cleared approximately 197 acres of land for both our Fire Wise and Water Ways efforts.

The Fire Wise team, comprised of both CA staff and resident volunteers, cleared a total of 67 acres. The Fire Wise Volunteers meet every Thursday, weather permitting, to clear designated areas.

If you are interested in becoming a part of the volunteer effort contact Catrin Dubois by way of the directory or monitor's desk.

Here is a map showing the cleared Fire Wise areas:

Fire Wise Clearing through the end of 2012

There is close to 160 acres of creek area on site that has been identified for maintenance. At the close of 2012, we have addressed 129 acres through our staff and contractors; the remainder is expected to be completed this year.

Here is a map showing the cleared Water Ways areas:

Water Ways Cleared through 2012

Welcome

Welcome to SCTXCA Flood and Fire Control blog. It is here that we will be posting our Fire-Wise and Water-Ways clearing progress and updates for the Sun City Texas Community Association. I am new to blogging, so please bear with me as I struggle to master its idiosyncrasies. I'd like to thank Gary Wilson II for his inspiration and guidance in helping me establish this page.

Carlton M Mathis
Water Management