Free Tool
How Much Water Is Your Lawn Wasting?
North Texas soils and rainfall patterns vary significantly across the metroplex. Enter your address to see exactly how much water your lawn actually needs — based on USDA soil data and local weather records.
What You'll Get
How This Tool Works
Enter Your Address
Type in any address within the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
We Pull Soil Data
USDA Web Soil Survey returns your soil type, hydrologic group, and infiltration rate.
View Your Chart
Month-by-month rainfall vs. evapotranspiration visualized as a water balance chart.
Get Recommendations
Irrigation need estimates derived from your soil and local weather — not generic guidelines.
What We Measure
Total Rainfall
Monthly precipitation totals pulled from NOAA weather stations nearest to your address, reflecting actual historical rainfall at your location.
Effective Rainfall
The portion of rainfall that actually stays in the soil and benefits your lawn, after accounting for runoff based on your soil's hydrologic group and infiltration rate.
Crop Evapotranspiration (ET)
The combined water loss from soil evaporation and plant transpiration. ET is the primary driver of irrigation need during DFW's hot summers.
Net Water Deficit
The gap between what your lawn loses to ET and what effective rainfall provides. A positive deficit means your irrigation system needs to make up the difference.
Runoff Percentage
How much of each rain event runs off your property without soaking in. DFW's heavy clay soils (Hydrologic Group D) produce significantly more runoff than sandier soils, reducing effective rainfall.
Irrigation Need
The estimated supplemental water your irrigation system should apply each month, calculated from your net deficit and soil properties. Used to evaluate whether your current schedule is over or under watering.
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate is this calculator?
Uses USDA soil survey data and NOAA historical weather specific to DFW. Results are based on your actual soil properties and local precipitation patterns.
What is a water balance?
A water balance compares how much water your soil receives (rainfall) versus how much it loses (evapotranspiration). When losses exceed gains, your lawn needs supplemental irrigation.
Does this work for all DFW addresses?
The calculator covers the entire Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. It uses USDA soil survey data and local weather stations to generate location-specific results.
Built Specifically for Dallas-Fort Worth
Generic water calculators use regional averages that miss the variation across DFW. This tool queries the USDA Web Soil Survey directly for your parcel and pairs it with historical weather data from the closest NOAA weather station. Soil types across the metroplex range from the heavy Blackland Prairie clay in Plano and Allen to sandier Houston Black soils further south — your results reflect your actual conditions, not a regional estimate.
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