They’re pumping from Lake Meredith once again.
Why? Well, the lake is actually gaining water volume, thanks to heavy rainfall in the Texas Panhandle and even heavier rainfall along the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains. The water has flowed into the lake and is giving the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority reason to start pumping water to thirsty cities served by the water district.
In Panhandle, a Growing Need for a Lake's Water
The Texas Tribune reports about the lake’s sudden, if not yet dramatic, turnaround.
What’s the future hold for the lake and for the Ogallala Aquifer, which provides groundwater to not just to Panhandle and South Plains residents, but to those who live in eight states from Texas to the Dakotas? That subject is under serious investigation.
Indeed, Panhandle PBS is going to be part of a statewide public television documentary project that examines the state of water supplies throughout the state.
We’ll have much more on that later.
Why pump from the lake … now? As the Tribune reports: “’We consider the Ogallala nonrenewable, and we consider the lake renewable,’said Kent Satterwhite, the authority’s general manager. ‘We have a lot of groundwater, but it is a finite source, and it doesn’t make any sense to use it when there’s lakewater available.’”
This issue is worth watching. So, with that I’ll invite you to stay tuned for much more to come on the future of water in the Texas Panhandle.
