Water District seeks public input on desired future conditions of Ogallala in hearing Thursday evening Hemphill County residents will have one more opportunity tonight (Thursday) to learn more about the water districts efforts to propose new desired future conditions (DFCs) for the Ogallala Aquifer and to offer comment on their own views of the future of water in Hemphill County. The Hemphill County Underwater Conservation District (UWCD) will conduct the final of two hearings Thursday, January 23, at 6:30 pm to receive public input on the proposed desired future conditions (DFC) for the Ogalalla Aquifer. The hearings are part of the second round of joint water planning in which Hemphill County UWCD partners with other members of the 18-county Groundwater Management Area 1 to set goals for the amount of water remaining in storage within its boundaries. Every five years, each water district must adopt a new desired future condition and seek public input into the water planning process. Following the first round of planning, Hemphill County adopted a goal of preserving 80 percent of water in storage over 50 years. That goal was the most conservative one adopted by GMA1 members. HCUWCD board members would like the public to weigh in on whether to maintain that goal, or to set a lower DFC, reducing the percent of water remaining in storage over the next 50 years to 60 or 70 percent. The first pubic hearing was held Tuesday afternoon. General Manager Janet Guthrie and hydrological consultant Ray Brady made a brief presentation explaining the regional water planning process and describing the districts efforts to accurately measure the water in storage in Hemphill County and to track its depletion. Though attendance was light, those who did participate in Tuesdays meeting asked a variety of questions about hydrology and stream flow, and discussed the impacts of fracking, irrigation and the drought on water levels and the economic and aesthetic benefits of water conservation. Public attendance at the second and final hearing tonight is urged. The meeting will begin at 6:30 pm in the HCUWCD conference room located at 906 S. Second Street.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 17:00:01 +0000
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