But not here. Like the counties immediately to the
west of us, and many others scattered across the Pan- handle and West Texas, Wichita County remained in the red on the Drought Monitor. And it seemed as though every time a pop-up shower hit somewhere nearby, it still missed us. And the lakes. Lake Kickapoo and Lake Arrowhead, the primary
sources of city water for Wichita Falls’ 104,000 resi- dents, as well as the surrounding communities (like Electra), continued to dry up over the next couple of years. By last May, they had reached a combined total of less than 25 percent of their capacity, sending the area into Stage 5: Drought Catastrophe.
Catastrophe conservation Living in such a dramatic, long-lasting drought —
not to mention the resulting restrictions — has meant making adjustments. Some have been little, like saving car washes for
times they were completely necessary. Or accepting that lawns would die out and turn to dust and the only way to legally water landscaping was to collect extra water in the shower. But those are all just aesthetics. Others have been much bigger. Back in January 2013, Brandon and I closed on a
Stage 5: Drought Catastrophe Fast Facts
• All outdoor watering is prohibited • No at-home car washes allowed • Commercial car washes must close on Sundays and Mondays
• Restaurants may not provide water to patrons who do not expressly request it
• No city water may be used to fi ll pools or water features
• Increased per-unit price on city water bill
• Surcharges applied to customers using more than the allotted amount of water in a month’s time
piece of land he had been eyeing for years. Not only was the property uniquely mesquite-free, but it had several large trees, a tank and was in an area sure to be secluded for a very long time. It would be the site of
A lot of heat and no rain meant lakes and stock tanks dried up.
tscra.org
May 2015 The Cattleman 67
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100