Dallas Blog

Ok, I'm the last person who is going to try to justify Tom Hicks' conspicuous consumption. But for crying out loud, do some math.

Hicks uses 100 times as much water as the "average Dallas homeowner"

Hicks is watering a 20-acre spread.

20 acres divided by 100 = 0.2 acres, which is a pretty large residential lot. I would wager that most 0.2 acre lots are using at least the "average" amount of water, and probably quite a bit more.

The conclusion: Tom Hicks may be a conspicuous consumer with way too much land for one person without a herd of cattle, but his water usage per acre is no worse than any other 20 acres in Dallas.

I'm a member of KERA, and I'm disappointed. If I wanted a strawman argument, I'd listen to AM talk.

Somebody's gotta be the largest consumer.

Ya can't take away his right to purchase water just because he doesn't know how to run a sports franchise, can ya?

Maybe Hick's water use should be compared to a small golf course.

Maybe Hicks heard how much water Lance Armstrong was using on his estate and got jealous. Since Hicks had to settle for second worst baseball owner I hope he regards this first place honor as suitable recognition for all his fine recent work. Hopefully Hicks will dispatch a lackey or issue a statement to let us know how proud he is to be #1 at anything; if Hicks is not so proud then he can explain why it's the fault of area sports fans. Go, Glorypark, Go.

PS: Per the Hicks consumption on 20 acres.

It can also mean that they are watering the land far more than it needs or even wants. One thing I learned as I weened my water gulping landscape away from being high water usage/ high maintenence to essentially self-sustaining: Landscapes (and grasses) are like kids. You spoil them and they demand to keep being spoiled.

Meaning you can train a yard to 'need' tons of water, deeply watered daily. But you can also train it to begin hoarding the water because it senses there is not abundant water as before. Just like the way our bodies hoard fat when we diet as the body fears being starved. And before long, it's one inch of water a week and green, even lush. On the other hand, when there's no incentive to re-train' your landscape.......

My next door neighbor is a single woman who literally does not water. She has a huge oak tree and St. Augustine grass in her front yard under the oak. In the back she had a mix of St. Augustine and Bermuda. Near where her roof line concentrates the water that runs off she still has thick St. Augustine otherwise the Bermuda is taking over.

I am shocked that after 3 yrs of not watering she still has good St. Augustine. I usually recommend the pattern Kexin cited, once every 5 days in Summer and once every couple of weeks in Winter if we haven't had any rain.

I'd say a typical Dallas lot would be .2 acres not a large lot. If you're squeezed on some newer development you might disagree but most pre-Clinton would be .2.

Wow, one of the guys with the biggest places uses the most water? Who would have guessed.
I bet he pays the highest taxes too.

I wonder what Laura and George's water bill is going to be?