Saving my back yard - Part III

When I first purchased my home I spent endless nights laying in a hammock enjoying the peaceful evenings in McAllen, TX. For whatever reason, I let my backyard go dry on me. In the summer of '09, I put in the time to bring the backyard back to life. I am proud to say that I am beginning to see new life. I fixed my sprinkler system, spread compost throughout the backyard, and I placed seeds in areas that were missing grass. So far, everything has worked as planned. The only obstacle left is to keep my crave-digging dog from the backyard. Princess, is her name, and she loves to take shoes, toys, or whatever she can find and stuff in a hole in our backyard.  

During this process I also learned a valuable lesson, sprinkler systems can be expensive. Not to install them, but your water bill at the end of the month. My water bill has grown at a 170% rate. Yikes! A lot of money just to water my yard. Of course, I called the City of McAllen to complain. According to McAllen Public Utilities, I am being charged double; water usage and sewage. Since I don't have a separate meter for my yard, they have to assume that the water is being used inside the home. Which means that they have to charge me for water is being used and the disposal of it. Of course, in your yard, mother nature disposes it for you. But not in your home. To fix this problem I have to spend an additional $350 to have a separate meter installed to determine how much water is being used outside the home. Lesson learned. On to get another meter.