Revisiting the 2025 Waterwise Landscapes Tour

November 13, 2025  | By Shoal Creek Conservancy

On Sunday, April 13th, 2025, Shoal Creek Conservancy hosted our first annual Waterwise Landscapes Tour! The tour featured a mix of locations, including two private homes, the Moore-Hancock farmstead, and one of the SCC-maintained rain gardens.

Attendees spent the day visiting the four locations and learning from homeowners and volunteers about the unique ways each property implemented features that conserve water and enhance water quality.

Below is a quick look at the properties that were featured on the tour and the waterwise projects that were showcased!

Shoal Creek Boulevard Home

Since purchasing this home in 2019, the owners have continually transformed their yard by adding native plants and green stormwater infrastructure. Their goals were to address ponding issues, store rainwater for garden use, and enhance the beauty of their yard while supporting wildlife.

Key features:

  • Hand-dug rain garden
  • Rainwater catchment tank
  • Native plant beds along the backyard perimeter

Stardust Drive Home

This property sits near the 100-year floodplain and has historically struggled with flooding and rainwater ponding; water even came in through the front door! The current family, who purchased the home in 1995, made flood mitigation their main priority.

Key Features added to capture or redirect rainwater:

  • Two 360-gallon rain tanks in the front yard
  • Four 450-gallon rain tanks in the backyard
  • French drains in the front yard to collect and direct water away from the house
  • Bonus: The homeowners now use rainwater from the backyard tanks to keep their recently installed pool topped up!

Moore-Hancock Farmstead

A true historic gem, the Moore-Hancock Farmstead property features the original dwelling built in 1849. The current owners purchased the property in 1989 and have made thoughtful improvements over the last three decades, blending historic charm with modern conservation.

Key Features:

  • Four cisterns that catch rainwater from multiple roofs
  • A system of stone channels that directs rainwater from structures to multiple infiltration areas, including a small rain garden
  • Native plants selected specifically for their habitat value (especially for birds and pollinators)
  • Historic Context: The property also features a 14-foot-deep, hand-dug well and a hand-dug cellar, common elements in historic buildings from this period

Rain Garden on Woodview Ave

The Woodview Rain Garden is an infiltration-type, flow-through rain garden engineered and installed by the City of Austin in 2020. As stormwater enters, it’s held and infiltrated into the soil. During heavy rain, the flow-through function allows overflow to exit via an outlet at the south end (where runoff from Woodview Ave enters at the north end).

Originally planted with Bermuda grass, SCC adopted the garden in 2022 and converted it to native plantings to increase functionality and create a pollinator habitat. This was achieved by rebuilding the inlet, decreased mowing, and focusing on deeper-rooted native species.

 

Getting Ready for the Next Waterwise Landscapes Tour

SCC’s next Waterwise Landscapes Tour is scheduled for Saturday, March 21st, 2026! If you’re excited to share any Green Stormwater Infrastructure or water conserving features on your own property, or if you’d like to refer a friend’s yard, please complete the interest form.

Nominate a property to feature at the 2026 Tour

 

Thank You & Resources

A big thank you to those who shared their property, to our volunteers, and to our event partners, Austin Water and Ghisallo Cycling Initiative, during the 2025 Waterwise Landscapes Tour.

If you are curious about ways you can conserve water and positively impact nearby waterways like Shoal Creek, please explore the resources below, and join us at the 2026 Tour!

To hone your skills alongside SCC, please join us at a riparian restoration or rain garden workday!