Spindletop ushered in the oil boom in Texas and for much of the 20th century, we mined the crude fuel like there was no tomorrow.
We became known as one of the world's premier oil capitals.
Oil remains important today, although not as important as it once was. Instead, we've come to discover that we have another priceless resource that needs even more protection than from overuse.
It's water.
A group of Texas public television stations, including Panhandle PBS, has gathered its collective skill to tell a story that needs to be told. "Texas Perspective: Water" will air at 7 p.m. Thursday on Panhandle PBS.
This is a major undertaking for all the stations involved. They include public TV stations in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Corpus Christi and El Paso, in addition to Panhandle PBS. Each station brings a different perspective on the water situation as it exists in Texas.
OK, now it's time for a bit of disclosure.
Yours truly had a hand in this project.
Panhandle PBS asked me to do a little field reporting for our station's segment on this water special. I've blogged about it already, telling readers of this blog about the challenges associated with learning how to write for television.
We're quite proud at Panhandle PBS of the contribution we've made to this project.
Each segment looks at the issue from a different perspective. Panhandle PBS examines the issue from a couple of angles: the acquisition of groundwater rights and the impact of water on our agriculture-based economy.
One of the many interesting aspects of this special will educate viewers on how Wichita Falls is coping with a severe surface water shortage and how the city is blending lake water it pumps from one of two reservoirs with -- get ready for it -- waste water. Yes, the water we flush down our toilets.
I don't want to give away anything on this project. It's worth watching Thursday night.
If nothing else, we're all going to learn that the value of water and the consequences of its potential disappearance would dwarf the impact oil has had on our great state.
