NORTH PLAINS WATER NEWS

Collecting information about a hidden resource deep underground is not an easy task, but it is one that North Plains Groundwater Conservation District must complete yearly. How do we know what is happening to our groundwater supply in the Ogallala aquifer? One way to get information about the aquifer is to take water level measurements in multiple wells across the Panhandle. These measurements are typically taken in the early months of the year at a time when agricultural irrigation is not taking place, so that water levels have had time to level out without the effects seen from draw-down in the aquifer caused by heavy pumping. This data is then used to determine declines or increases in the water level in the aquifer over the past year.

Some of the measurements are taken from wells that are also used for agricultural production and irrigation, and some are wells that are designated as monitoring wells, and others have no pumping taking place. The overall trend seen for the Panhandle, however, is that water levels in the aquifer are declining, and it is becoming even more important to get accurate measurements each year in order to monitor the groundwater usage from the Ogallala.

With this in mind, the Board of Directors of the North Plains Groundwater Conservation District has directed District staff to have additional water level monitor wells drilled throughout the District. Utilizing dedicated water level monitoring wells instead of measuring production wells or abandoned wells will greatly increase the accuracy and reliability of the measurements taken, and will work to enhance the quality of the District’s already existing monitor well program. The District will be drilling many new dedicated monitor wells over the next several years, and the first was completed on November 15, 2007 in Lipscomb County.

Landowners who are concerned about the Ogallala aquifer and wish to help in the effort to study and better manage our groundwater resources now have the opportunity to participate in the monitor well program. The District will be seeking permission and easements from certain District landowners who to drill and maintain water level monitoring wells on their property. The District will pay the costs to drill and maintain the monitoring wells, or will cover the costs of drilling a test hole for a property owner who agrees to allow the District to use that test hole for a monitoring well.

If you would be willing to have a water level monitor well located on your property and one of the three conditions below apply please contact Dale Hallmark (District Hydrologist) at 806-935-6401 for details.

1. If you are planning to drill any test holes and are willing to have one of them turned into a permanent monitor well, and the test hole is located in an area where a monitoring well is needed, or

2. If you have an unused well that you would be willing to have turned into a permanent monitor well or

3. If you would be willing to allow the District to drill, equip and maintain a permanent monitor well on your property

Not all properties may be located where an additional water level monitor well would be useful or beneficial, however all responses from District landowners about property available to drill and maintain monitor wells on will be deeply appreciated. The groundwater beneath our feet is a precious resource, and it is the goal of North Plains Groundwater Conservation District to protect and preserve that resource for as long as possible, and to try to ensure that there is a dependable supply of water for future generations.

North Plains Groundwater Conservation District once again participated in the yearly Ag Day sponsored by the Moore County Farm Bureau that provides a day of learning about agriculture and natural resources to Moore County fourth graders.

Students attend presentations about different crops that are grown in the Panhandle and the potential uses for those crops, as well as attending presentations on different types of livestock and poultry. At the end of the day, students attend a presentation at the "mobile dairy" where they learn about dairy farms and get to see the milking of a dairy cow. Students in attendance also learn about agricultural chemicals and farm safety.

North Plains Groundwater Conservation District’s presentation consists of talking to students about how they use water to get them to consider how this valuable resource is sometimes taken for granted. Students learn about the Ogallala aquifer and concern over conserving the groundwater of the aquifer across the District, and then discuss ways that they and their families could conserve water in their own homes.

To conclude the presentation, students construct their own Edible Aquifers in clear plastic cups. This provides a visualization of groundwater in an aquifer to reinforce the concepts already discussed. The Farm Bureau Ag Fairs are yearly events across the Panhandle, and the District is a yearly participant in each of them.

From September 1, 2007 to November 7, 2007, North Plains Groundwater Conservation District received the following number of well permits and registrations.

Lipscomb...............................................................7

Hutchinson............................................................6

Hartley...................................................................9

Ochiltree..............................................................12

Dallam...................................................................3

Hansford................................................................6

Sherman................................................................4

Moore....................................................................6

North Plains Groundwater Conservation District has a new well permitting coordinator. Casey Tice, who was the water quality coordinator for the District, has taken the position and will be helping District residents with applying for test hole and well permits and registering domestic and stock wells. Casey will maintain and continue to build the District database of wells, with the help of Karen Mannis, well permitting assistant.

In addition to tracking permits and making sure that all paperwork is filed properly with the District, Casey will also be in charge of sending out the annual production reporting forms to all well-owners in the District. Casey joined the staff of NPGCD in July of 2004 and he is retired after 22 years in the U.S. Navy, where he worked as an operations analyst and assistant navigator on numerous submarines on both the East and West Coast.  Casey has two children, Alex and Bailey. Casey grew up in Dumas from the age of six on.

In his spare time, Casey enjoys running, playing guitar and watching movies.

Over the coming years, Casey will continue to collect information and update the District well database to ensure that residents and the Board of Directors have accurate and timely information on their groundwater to aid in the management of the resource. Anyone with questions or seeking help with the paperwork related to drilling wells or reporting annual production can contact Casey at the District office.

Sergio Rodriguez, formerly the Field Operations Coordinator for North Plains Groundwater Conservation District, will now be filling the new position of Monitor Well Program Coordinator. As part of the District’s ongoing mission to protect and conserve the groundwater resources of the Ogallala aquifer within the District, the Board of Directors has decided to expand the network of monitor wells across the District, and Sergio will now be in charge of overseeing the drilling of those new wells, working with land owners who are interested in allowing a monitor well to be drilled on their property, and collecting water quality and water depth information from those sites each year.

Sergio has worked for the District since 1997 in the Field Operations Department. He graduated from Dumas High School in 1987 and in 1988 joined the US Navy for four years. He served during the Gulf War and was assigned to the nuclear submarine USS Lewis & Clark where he served as a navigation electronics technician. He married his wife Mary while in the Navy and after the service lived in Louisiana and worked for the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections for 2 years. He then went to work for Amite Foundry as a Metal Lab Technician for two years. Sergio came to Dumas in October of 1996 from Roseland, La. with his wife and three children.

The North Plains Groundwater Conservation District has completed a new Hydrologic Atlas of the District. The Atlas uses current and historical data to map groundwater information throughout the District on a county-by-county basis.

The atlas is titled "Hydrology and Water Resources 2006" and contains information that landowners often request about the Ogallala aquifer and the water resources of areas within the District.

The maps section contains maps depicting water-level monitor well locations, estimated depth to water, estimated aquifer thickness and estimated average declines (25 maps).

In addition to the maps section, the atlas also contains sections outlining the purpose of the District, the history and statutes for the District, the geographical extent of the District and general information on the geology

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One of the duties carried out by the staff of North Plains Groundwater Conservation District each year, at the direction of the Board of Directors, is the collecting of data about the water levels in the Ogallala aquifer and how they have changed during the past year. This data is collected from monitoring wells located throughout the eight counties of the District, and the water levels are measured during the winter when the aquifer has had time to recover from any local drawdown due to irrigation wells.

What has been seen however, over the years, is that the saturated thickness of the aquifer has continued to decline steadily. In some parts of the country, with more rainfall and different aquifer conditions, nature is able to provide a return of water to the local aquifer through rainfall and percolation of water down from the land surface, and this is called recharge. Due to the semi-arid climate of the Panhandle, there is not enough rainfall to replenish the water being drawn from the aquifer, and in addition, there are geologic conditions found across the Panhandle that prevent what recharge there might be from reaching the aquifer.

Data on water levels in the aquifer are collected by the District’s field technicians each year and entered into a computer database for analysis. Using the data from 1981 through 2006, the District hydrologist has been able to calculate the average decrease in the saturated thickness in the District’s monitoring wells, and the trend shown has reinforced the need to develop good management tools to try to extend the useable life of the aquifer.

Based on the District’s measurements from 1981 through 2006, there was a fifty (50) foot decline in water levels on average in Dallam County. Hartley County has seen a decline of over sixty two (62) feet in the same time period. Data on Sherman County for the same 25 year period shows a forty five (45) foot decrease in saturated thickness, while Moore County showed a thirty seven (37) foot decline. Hutchinson County had a thirty eight (38) foot decline on average in the measured wells, and thirty two (32) feet of drawdown was observed when averaging the depth to water in Hansford County. Wells measured in Ochiltree and Lipscomb Counties showed less decrease in saturated thickness on average during the same time period, with decreases of seventeen (17) feet and seven (7) feet respectively.

The number of new wells drilled across the Panhandle has continued to increase as well in most counties. In the last ten years, there have been 312 new wells drilled in Dallam County and 474 new water wells drilled in Hartley County. Sherman County had 243 new wells drilled, and there were 183 wells drilled in Moore County during the same time period. The Eastern side of the Panhandle has seen slightly less drilling of new wells, with 103 new water wells drilled in Ochiltree County over the last ten years, and Lipscomb had 110 new wells. Hutchinson County had only 29 new wells constructed and Hansford County had 30.

The Board of Directors of the District has been studying this data for some time, and has put into place management strategies to address the trend that is seen. North Plains Groundwater Conservation District now has rules that address the spacing of wells and which set upper limits on the amount of water that a water producer can pump, and the Board has voted to put into place a more extensive monitoring well network which will allow the District to more closely monitor the changes in the saturated thickness of the aquifer each year. The goal of the District’s Board of Directors is to conserve and preserve the groundwater resources of the District for as long as possible, and working with other Groundwater Conservation Districts across the Panhandle they will continue to develop and refine a management plan for the future of the Ogallala.

"Water is a very good servant, but it is a

cruel master."

C.G.D. Roberts, "Adrift in America", 1891

Here in the Texas Panhandle, we are always being reminded about the importance of water and the importance of conserving our water resources. One way to conserve water in the home that people often ignore for long periods of time is to repair leaks. Repairing water leaks is a great way to reduce the use of water that’s just being wasted. Repairing water leaks will always save you money.

But it’s only a small drip…….. right?

Slow drips of water can add up quickly. A toilet that "keeps running" after you flush or a sink that drips after it is turned off can waste thousands of gallons of water a year. If the drip is hot water, you are paying for wasted energy too. Fix leaks as soon as you find them. They won’t go away on their own.

Toilet Leaks

Toilet leaks can range from small to large, constant or random. Many are even silent. Even a small, silent leak can easily waste $50 per year in water and sewer costs. Large leaks can waste much more. Fortunately, most toilet leaks are relatively easy to fix. In a properly functioning toilet, no water should move from the tank to the bowl, unless the toilet is being flushed. A leaking toilet loses water from the tank to the bowl without being flushed.

Checking for a leaky toilet:

1. Remove the tank lid. (Don’t worry, this water is clean until it enters the bowl.)

2. Add some food coloring or a dye tablet to turn the water a different color. Put the tank lid back on.

3. After about 30 minutes, look in the bowl. If you see colored water, you have a leak.If the

water is clear, water is not leaking from the tank to the bowl.

If you do have a leak, there are a number of possible causes. If you remove the tank lid and can easily identify the cause, correct the problem and try your leak test again. Consider that "fixes" such as bending the float back to shape, or adjusting how the rubber flapper falls, often end up failing soon afterward. In most cases, you will simply want to replace the toilet flapper (the rubber thing at the bottom of the tank that keeps water in the tank) and/or the filling mechanism. These are available at hardware stores and home centers for about $8 each.

Leaking Faucets

A leaking faucet is frequently the result of a bad rubber washer. The washer on a sink is typically located under the handle. A washer is relatively easy to replace, if you have the right tools. It does require shutting off the water under the faucet, and removing the handle. Check local home centers or the Internet (keywords "repairing leaky faucets" for instructions on how to repair faucet leaks. If you don’t feel comfortable doing the repair yourself, a plumber may be your best option. Remember, even if you have to pay a plumber to fix the leak, you will end up saving money in the long run.

Have a High Bill, But Don’t See a Leak?

Sometimes you may have a leak and not even know it. The best indication will be a high bill compared to past use or compared to how much water your neighbors may be using. There are often two reasons for mysterious water leaks: a leaking toilet or a leak between the meter and the house. A leaking toilet is more likely to be the cause. Outdoor leaks are relatively rare. The first step is to determine whether you actually have a leak, or are just using more water than you expected. Many customers are surprised at just how much water can be used for activities such as watering the lawn. Below are directions for checking for mysterious water leaks.

1. Locate the water meter. It should be near the street under a metal, plastic or concrete lid. In some cities you may have to request that a city employee unlock the meter lid so that you can

check the meter. The water meter is your indicator

of water use. When water is not being used,

nothing on the meter should be moving. Water

meters have numbers or spinning dials, which

record usage. Most meters also have a small

"leak detector" arrow, which senses the

lower volumes of water common with leaks.

2. Turn off every water-using item inside and out side the home or building.

3. Check the meter. Watch for a minute or more. If

the leak detector dial or arrow is moving, you have

a leak. In some cases, it may move back and forth

very slightly, as water pressure in the street

fluctuates. If it moves forward continually, even at a slow rate, you have a leak. You may also

want to check the main meter reading (numbers) at a set time, an then come back an hour later, after you know no water has been used. If it has a higher reading, there is a leak. If you suspect a toilet may be the culprit, turn the water off from the toilet shut-off valve (on the wall, under the toilet) and check the meter again.

4. If you still can’t locate the leak, find the shut- off valve for your home or building. It can be

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indoors or outdoors, but should be near the

location where the water line enters the building. If you don’t know where the shut-off valve is,

follow a straight line from the water meter to your building and look for it. If you have a very large building, it is possible you have more than one main shut-off valve.

5. Confirm the location of the leak. If the main shut- off is closed and the meter has stopped, the leak is not between the meter and the building. If the

meter still runs with the main water shut off, your

leak is between the meter and the building. Since

outdoor leaks are relatively rare, be sure to

double-check that all indoor fixtures and outdoor

hose and irrigation lines are off. Call a plumber to

fix underground outdoor leaks.

Leaking Pipes

If you have a water leak along a pipe and do not have the knowledge to fix it, call a plumber.

Each of uses water a little differently; some of us water the lawn, may of our homes have water leaks, even more of us have old toilets that use more than 1.6 gallons per flush. Just a few of the ways to conserve water would be to install a 1.6 gallon toilet, buy a water-efficient washing machine, repair leaks, reduce water use in the yard and garden, wash only full loads, shorten shower time, reduce faucet water use, and be careful not to waste water outdoors.

North Plains Groundwater Conservation District is pleased to welcome two new staff members to the Dumas office. The two new employees are Environmental Resource Specialists who will help to carry out the duties of inspecting and monitoring water wells for the District, as well as providing field services for District residents. You can meet the two new employees in the short articles below.

Odell Ward has lived in Dumas for forty-two years (his entire life) and he and his wife Deana have been married twelve years. They have three children; Tyler – 17, Baylee – 11, and MyKala – 8.

Odell Ward - Odell earned a Bachelor of Science degree from West Texas A&M University in Biology and Wildlife Science and he has completed some work towards a Master’s degree in Ecology.

Odell worked for the National Park Service in 1992, and has since been in the trucking business. He owned and operated his own business for six years, and has been a truck driver for 15 years.

His hobbies include hunting, camping, four-wheeling and off-roading.

North Plains Groundwater Conservation District is pleased to welcome him to our staff, and we know that he will be a welcome addition to the District personnel.

Brenda Westeman - Brenda Westeman was born and raised in Southwest Kansas. She earned an Associate’s degree from Garden City Community College, and before moving to Dumas, she farmed in Hamilton County, Kansas for thirteen years.

Brenda has one son, Levi, who is 21 and lives in Wichita, Kansas. Her hobbies outside of work include motorcycling, photography, traveling, and hunting and fishing.

Brenda is the first female Field Technician for North Plains Groundwater Conservation District, and her background in farming will make her a valued asset to the District, particularly in providing services and information to the agricultural producers of the area.

For the third year, North Plains Groundwater Conservation District (NPGCD) has been designated as a Groundwater Guardian Community by the Groundwater Foundation. It has been an honor for the District to be the only Groundwater Conservation District in the state of Texas so designated.

Groundwater Guardian, an outreach and education program of the Groundwater Foundation, encourages communities to begin groundwater awareness and protection activities, supports the communities in their efforts, then recognizes their achievements. This international program began in 1994 with eight test-year communities and has grown substantially. Communities can represent a number of diverse settings including rural areas, large incorporated cities, Indian Reservations, and watersheds in the United States and Canada. U.S. Geological Survey is the National Co-Sponsor of the Groundwater Guardian Program.

The Groundwater Guardian teams, such as NPGCD, develop Result Oriented Activities (ROAs) to address the community's and/or area’s groundwater protection concerns. ROAs fall into many categories including education and awareness, pollution prevention, public policy, conservation, and best management practices. To continue with the program, the Groundwater Guardian team submits an ROA Plan to The Groundwater Foundation for each activity they choose to adopt. During the course of the year, The Groundwater Foundation provides information and materials helpful to the communities as they implement their ROAs, such as the Groundwater Guardian Assistance Kit, The Aquifer, and "hot topic" materials, such as the Drinking Water Source Assessment and Protection Workshop Guide.

By August 31st of each year, communities complete an Annual Report Form detailing their progress during the year. Groundwater Guardian designation is earned by the community when substantive progress is made toward the implementation of activities and accomplishment of goals. Groundwater protection is an ongoing process, and communities re-enter each year as they continue to build on previous successes.

The year culminates with a National Groundwater Guardian Designation Celebration held in conjunction with The Groundwater Foundation’s annual conference each November. This conference brings together a diverse group of community representatives and their partners to be designated as Groundwater Guardians. Most importantly, the conference is an opportunity to network and share success stories with others who may benefit from their community's experiences. This three-day conference features presentations by community and organization representatives. The highlight of the conference is the designation banquet where community representatives are honored for making substantive progress toward comprehensive groundwater protection in their community.

NPGCD received their designation at the Groundwater Foundation’s 2007 Fall Conference in Denver, Colorado. During the presentation, a slideshow presentation showed highlighted of some of the Result Oriented Activities carried out within North Plains Groundwater Conservation District this past year.

Those activities included two children’s Water Festivals and a water awareness book donation program for all public and elementary school libraries in the District, which is co-sponsored by Valero’s McKee Refinery. In addition, programs for school children of all ages are presented in classrooms across the District, and hands-on teacher workshops to familiarize teachers with great water education curriculum materials are held each summer. The District also provides the Texas based water education curriculum "Major Rivers" to any interested fourth or fifth grade teacher within the District who is interested in obtaining it. The Major Rivers curriculum is a short unit on the water resources of Texas that includes a DVD, fun comic book-style activity booklets for students, and a great teacher’s guide to using the materials.

Public education activities such as the annual Drip Irrigation and Xeriscaping class are a part of the offerings to the general public as well. New in 2008 will be public "Test Your Well" events where private well owners can bring in samples of their well water for free testing for a variety of contaminants, and can learn more about the care of private wells in the process.

Youth programs offered through the District include Girl Scout badge workshops, which are offered at various locations throughout the District during the year, and at which the scouts participate in hands-on learning and service learning projects about water and water resources. One of the service learning projects this year included a public awareness campaign and storm drain stenciling in Dumas to remind the public that water going down the storm drains is not treated and returns to the environment carrying whatever pollutants it picked up from our streets and yards.

Anyone wishing to know more about any of the educational programs of North Plains Groundwater Conservation District, or who would like to request a program or involvement in a community service project can contact Education Coordinator Rhonda Artho at the District office in Dumas at 806-935-6401, or can e-mail to artho@npwd.org.

and hydrology of the District. It features information on the current volume of water in storage in the aquifer, average aquifer thickness, as well as estimated annual water usage, recharge, and other inflows and outflows of the aquifer.

We are continually adding to and deleting from our mailing list for the North Plains Water News. So, if for any reason you wish to be taken off our mailing list, your address is incorrect, or if you receive more than one copy of our newsletter, or if you know of someone who is NOT on our mailing list for North Plains Water News and wishes to be added, please notify us at Post Office Box 795 in Dumas, Texas, 79029, call us at 806/935-6401 or e-mail us at artho@npwd.org. Thanks for your consideration.

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