ABC Blog

Why The City of Austin Still Has Water Restrictions

It seems like Austin has switched places with Portland or Seattle this year. We’ve received record amounts of rainfall. And along with the rains, we’ve enjoyed cooler temperatures and a later summer than normal. You’ve heard it on the news – the lakes are full, hurray!

Despite the rain, the City of Austin is still enforcing water restrictions, and has made some long-term changes to reduce water use in the Central Texas area. So if the lakes are full and our water supply is back to previous levels, why are we still operating under water restrictions?

How Austin-Area Water Sources Work Today

Our primary water source in Austin comes from the Colorado River and the system of Highland Lakes along the river. The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) manages this water source, and the City of Austin is its customer.

There are five dams along the river and six lakes created by those dams.

Lake … Read Full Post »

Pro Pool Tips for your Summer Vacation

follow these pro pool safety for summer in texas

School is out for summer, and we’re ready for a vacation!

Like most families, you’ve probably planned some sort of pool-related fun for the summer. Or maybe you’ve planned an all-out trip to the beach. Either way, we have put together a list of pro-tips for the pool that we’d love to share with our ABC family blog readers. These eight safety measures will ensure that your summer vacation isn’t disturbed by any scraped knees, sunburns, or worse.

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How to Child-Proof Your Swimming Pool

pool safety tips

Having a pool at your home can provide endless entertainment for your family, but there’s also the ever-present danger of injury and drowning, especially for young children. The privilege of a beautiful swimming pool comes with the responsibility of protecting those around you from harm. Adopt these pool safety practices below to ensure the well-being of swimmers of any age.

Follow these steps to keep swimmers safe while they are in the pool:

  • Maintain adult supervision of children in the swimming pool at all times.
  • Store a first aid kit in proximity to the pool for the treatment of minor injuries.
  • Keep life preservers, kickboards, rope, and a pole in the general vicinity of the pool for easy access.
  • Learn CPR, and encourage all adult members of your house to become certified as well. The city of Austin provides training in CPR to residents. Learn more.
  • Create a list of pool safety rules, communicate them to … Read Full Post »

What To Pack For Your Trip to the Swimming Pool

what to bring to the pool

We’re inching closer to Memorial Day weekend, and pool season is upon us – once the rains subside! Many of us have already been to a swimming pool in between the rain showers, or are ready to visit the public pool once the summer heat hits in earnest. We have a wide variety of neighborhood and municipal pools to choose from here in Austin – don’t forget to check the City of Austin’s website for a massive list of pools and splash pads to plan your trip.

What to Bring to The Pool

Before heading out to take a dip, take a look at our list of what to bring to the pool below. You may not need all of these items, but there are bound to be a few you might want that you didn’t consider bringing.

Standard issue: for a trip to a public pool (or any pool for that matter) … Read Full Post »

Xeriscaping 101

what is xeriscaping

When you water your lawn during hot Texas summers, you might as well be lining your hose with dollar bills.

Most of Texas, including the City of Austin, experienced historic drought conditions in 2010-2011, leading Austin to impose strict watering restrictions. Even with recent heavy rains, another drought could be right around the corner. Making matters worse, thousands of people are moving to Austin, which causes increased demand for water.

What this means is that water supplies in Central Texas are limited, and costs for water will continue to rise. In light of increased costs and watering restrictions, what’s the best way to keep your front yard looking great through our long, hot Texas summers?

At ABC Home and Commercial Services, we have a solution: xeriscaping.

What is Xeriscaping?

Xeriscaping replaces high-water, high-maintenance plants with native and adapted plants. It also introduces rock formations and other landscape features that require no supplemental watering.

You can incorporate … Read Full Post »

3 Landscape Rebates in Austin that can Save You Money!

Summer is approaching and with it comes the time for hot days, relaxing by a poolside, reading a book in your yard and of course summer landscaping. Summer is the time in which you spend most of your day enjoying the nice weather and you will most likely want your yard to look perfect to set the mood. Luckily for you, Austin has some amazing rebates to reduce the cost of your summer landscaping. A rebate is money that is refunded to you by the city for taking cost or energy-saving measures with your home or yard maintenance.

Fixing your yard for the summer in Austin? Check out these rebates that could be available for you!

Landscape Survival Tools Rebates

If you use any of the following techniques or a combination of them for your home you could qualify for this rebate and also save money by reducing your need for water. The … Read Full Post »

Tips to Allergy-Proof Your Home

Allergy-proof your home Austin

It’s that time of year again when everything is sprouting. Just step outside your door and tree pollen will be in your face – it’s all over your lawn, your patio, your car, you name it! And just when you wanted to start spending time outside, your plans are halted by the onslaught of pollen and the pesky allergies that accompany it. Your watery eyes and running nose can have you locked up in your house for the next month or two. Try these tips – for both you and your home – to help keep the suffering to a minimum.

Note: Before getting started, it’s important to know what your allergies are. A trip to the allergist will help solve that mystery. Once you know what ails you, you’ll have a number of options regarding how to treat your allergies – allergy shots, medications, and home remedies. Here are a … Read Full Post »

Where Do Roaches Hide? Playing Cockroach Hide and Seek

where do roaches hide

Roaches are excellent at hiding. When it comes to fight or flight, this family of insects has evolved to excel at dodging attempts by humans to somehow squish or squash them. That’s why cockroaches have managed to remain one of humanity’s biggest pest problems for centuries. In fact, the cockroach family has thrived here on Earth for over 300 million years!

During the day, you rarely spot one of these creepy crawly creatures, but at night, you can often find them in your bathroom or running across your kitchen floor. This Houdini-like ability to disappear often elicits the same question: where do roaches hide?

Roaches: Nature’s Best Escape Artists

Almost 70 species of cockroaches are found in the United States, and most of those rarely make their way inside our homes. Unfortunately, once you see one roach, chances are that there could be tens or hundreds that you haven’t seen. The most common … Read Full Post »

Feel the Berm: Earthworks Make Austin Yards Stand Out.

berming austin landscaping earthworks

Positive drainage can help you protect and maintain your home’s foundation. Good builders always construct homes to have “positive” drainage. This term is civil engineering speak for: “Water flows away from the base of the house, and not towards it.”

But over time, negative drainage conditions lead to serious potential damage to the foundation of your home. Negative drainage occurs if for example, a house is missing rain gutters, or if the soil expands and contracts with moisture or temperature changes, or if there has been a general lack of maintenance over time.

Berms may be the solutions to foundation problems.

Berms are little man-made mounds with slopes that adorn the landscape. Adding a strategically located and constructed berm is one of the things you can do to prevent water from pooling near your foundation. This helps prevent expensive foundation damage, flooded crawl spaces, mold proliferation and other fun adventures in homeownership that … Read Full Post »

The Coolest Pools in Austin, TX

Spring is upon us! With such pleasant weather, it’s hard to imagine the sweltering temperatures heading our way in the next several months. Get prepared for the heat ahead of time by scoping out the best public pools Austin has to offer. Austin also has some beautiful hotel pools as well, for those times when you just need an escape, in or out of town.

For the most current opening and closing dates, fees, hours, and locations check the City of Austin’s website.

North: Northwest Hills, Allendale, Shoal Creek

Beverly S. Sheffield Northwest Municipal Pool is located in the park of the same name, near the intersection of Burnet Road and Greenlawn Parkway. It is a large pool with lanes for lap swimming, a more shallow open swimming area, and a wading pool for the little ones. There are shaded picnic tables in the pool area, as well as a playground, picnic tables … Read Full Post »