North Plains Water News

May 2024

2024 Water Festival Wrap Up!

Once again, fourth grade students in the North Plains GCD had a blast when they attended the annual Water Festivals!

North Plains GCD staff and partners were in Perryton on May 13th, Dumas on May 14th and 15th and Dalhart on May 16th to provide a variety of interactive experiences and share the importance of water with students through classic activities like Aquatic Art, We All Live Downstream, and the grand finale Green Earth Magic Show! This year the staff also trialed several new hands-on activities: the Pollution Game, Aquifer Properties, Shoebox Aquifer, and the Pipe Game.

Students from Dalhart Intermediate showing off their bracelets after participating in the Incredible Journey.

The Pollution Game is similar to Hungry Hungry Hippos. Students were taught the importance of keeping pollutants out of the water and how nature creates it’s own filters. Students used brooms and dust pans to separate the different colored balls (pollutants) from the “water”.
Aquifer Properties used the students’ senses to help identify the different properties of the Ogallala aquifer. Students blindly felt the different particles of Clay, Fine Sand, Coarse Sand, and Gravel and put them in order according to how they layer in the aquifer.
Shoebox Aquifer showed students how water travels in the aquifer. Students used spray bottles to mimic rain to fill up a “lake” and in-turn the aquifer. Then students used a turkey baster to “pump” the water out of the well to show the effects of pumping on the lake.
The Pipe Game taught students how we lose water when it travels through systems. Students each received a 2-foot pipe with holes drilled in it, they were instructed to put the pipes together in order to get water from the beginning of the pipe to the end, without losing too much water.

Students playing the Pollution Game. This is a hands on way to teach students about pollutants and the importance filters.

To enhance students’ appreciation for agricultural uses of water, each festival had an activity presented by a local commodity group partner. Texas Corn Producers Board, Hilmar Cheese, and Plains Cotton. Although students attending the water festivals are surrounded by agriculture, they often do not fully understand what happens to the plants that are harvested or cows that are raised in this area. By bringing in these organizations, students were able to enhance their agricultural knowledge, as well as environmental literacy, in one day!

The district is blessed with amazing partners that volunteer their time and expertise to help the Water Festivals be successful each year, and this year was no exception. Thanks to the volunteers, partners, and dedicated staff; fourth grade students learned about water conservation, pollution prevention, aquifers, water user groups, and how they can do their part to help save the planet’s water.

Mitch Funk showing students how pumping water from the well drops the level of the lake in the Shoebox Aquifer.

We were in the News!

Check out the video here.

Free Service Provided by the District: Water Quality Testing

The North Plains Groundwater Conservation District offers a free water testing service on water wells within the district.

We test for fluoride, iron, sulfates, nitrates and other basic minerals. Our lab can also test for hardness in the water. We will test residential wells to ensure that it does not have bacteria growth within the well.

The district has been providing this service for over 20 years and plans to continue this free service for our stakeholders.

We are NOT a certified lab, although we can assist with getting the sample to certified lab if more extensive testing is required.

If you would like to get your water well tested contact Braden Cadenhead at bcadenhead@northplainsgcd.org

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Is Sorghum Silage an Option for Conservation?

Demonstrations at the North Plains Water Conservation Center (WCC) at Etter will focus on shedding light on that very question and more during the 2024 growing season. While sorghum silage acres have increased steadily in recent years with the expanding regional forage market, the question about the effects on local water supplies still needs to be explored. The district’s demonstration lead, David Sloane, PhD., will be addressing this need by switching from the WCC’s usual corn and cotton rotation, to a cropping plan that moves half of the acres under pivot to sorghum forage. With one pivot featuring a corn/sorghum split cropping approach and the other cotton/sorghum, the two fields will be compared by water use, yield, and economics. Below is the layout of demonstrations planned for the 2024 growing season.

The east pivot will demonstrate cotton/sorghum silage split crop, demonstrating water sharing between the two crops at 4gpm per acre and using soil moisture probes to manage irrigation.

The west pivot will demonstrate corn/sorghum silage split crop, demonstrating water sharing and economics between the two crops at 4gpm per acre and using soil moisture probes to manage irrigation.

The total water use and economics of the two circles will also be compared to each other in terms of complementary crops.

An UpTerra water-structuring system will be demonstrated on the west pivot. The east pivot, south-half sorghum will serve as a control for the UpTerra demonstration.

The drip fields will demonstrate 1, 2, 3 and 4 day irrigation intervals, applying the same total water, with cotton in the north field and corn in the south field.

The drip fields will also continue to be compared to the pivots for water use, yield and economics for both crops.

For more information about the North Plains Water Conservation Center demonstrations contact Kirk Welch at kwelch@northplainsgcd.org.

90 Day Interview from Angel

Angel Quiroz started working at North Plains Groundwater Conservation District in January of 2024. Here's what he has to say about his time so far at the district!

What do you enjoy most about working for NPGCD?

"I really enjoy working with great employees ..."

Angel says he really enjoys the independence he has to do his own work out in the field but still having a team to lean on for help working out problems. He loves learning new things and meeting new people out in the district.

Springtime at the district is a really busy time for all the departments and thus far, Angel's favorite project he has been able to work on is the Water Festival. "Kids walk in not knowing anything about our water and I'm able to teach them and make sure they walk out with the proper knowledge."

Angel is excited for his future here at the district and looks forward to learning and improving everyday to become the best he can be at the NPGCD.

We are happy to see Angel enjoying his time here at the district and look forward to all he will bring!

XericZone Entries Being Accepted for Yard Recognition!

A xeriscape is a landscape design that does not require much water, usually utilizing native or drought-tolerant plants and hardscape elements such as rocks or pavers. If you know of a business or residence that uses any water-friendly landscaping practices, please send us a tip to info@northplainsgcd.org or fill out the nomination form found at here.

We’ll get in touch with the home or business owner and adorn their landscape with a special XericZone sign. They’ll also receive a deluxe rain gauge and a gardening gift card! Feel free to nominate your own xeriscape, or any that you see!

The 89th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature is Underway!

INTERIM

Speaker of the House Dave Phelan has released his Interim Charges for the House committees to study in preparation for the 89th legislative session. Click here to view the charges. Notably, the House Natural Resources Committee (pg 17 of PDF) is charged with examining groundwater infrastructure, water reuse, and other topics that could impact groundwater management.

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick released 57 interim charges for Senate committees in April. Click here to view those charges. Pg 15 instructs the Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee to review Water System Reliability and Monitor legislation addressed in the 88^th Legislative Session.

The first day legislators and legislators-elect may a file bill is Monday, November 11, 2024.

REGULAR SESSION

The Regular Session will convene on January 14, 2025 at noon and the regular session ends June 2, 2025.

More information about the Texas Legislature can be found at Texas Legislature Online at www.capitol.texas.gov Find out who represents you, how to contact them, learn how to look up bills, track bills of interest and even watch a live feed of committee meetings of the Senate or House.

Upcoming 2024 Director Election!

The above map shows the North Plains GCD divided up into the seven precincts in which a Director for the Board is elected to represent their precinct. This year, the NPGCD has three (3) Board of Directors' positions up for election. In order to run a candidate must be a resident and a registered voter in the precinct that the person desires to represent. The filing period opens July 20th 2024 and closes August 19th 2024.

The next District election will be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024 to fill the vacancy in Lipscomb County (Precinct 7), Texas, as well as for the officers in Ochiltree (Precinct 6), Texas, Hansford and Hutchinson Counties (Precinct 5), Texas. The election will be held during the November General Election. The November 5, 2024 election will be held within the respective confines of: Lipscomb County, Texas; Hansford County, Texas; Hutchinson County, Texas and Ochiltree County, Texas.

The current Board Members and their respective precinct are as follows:

Allan Frerich - Dallam County
Mark Howard - Hartley County
Justin Crownover - Sherman County
Harold Grall - Moore County
Bob Zimmer - Hutchinson & Hansford County
Danny Krienke - Ochiltree County
Vacant - Lipscomb County

The Board’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, adopting and monitoring the District’s annual budget, setting an annual tax rate and other fees to fund the budget, setting District goals, developing and implementing the District’s management plan, adopting and enforcing District Rules, ensuring the District operates within its statutory authority, and developing and implementing policies and other orders.

Important Dates for the Upcoming Election:

Last Day to File for a Place on the General Election Ballot: Monday, August 19, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.
Last Day to File a Declaration of Write-in Candidacy: Friday, August 23, 2024
Uniform Election Date: November 5, 2024

Are you are interested in running?

Contact District Election Administrator, Kristen Blackwell at klane@northplainsgcd.org

For more election information go here.