The Blessings of Rain and Meters

Drought has been the story in the Panhandle for the last several years, but this year the area has been blessed with substantial rainfall. The National Weather Service in Amarillo, Texas, has reported a total of 18.44 inches of rain so far this year which is 9.57 inches above the normal. This abundance of rain has helped the Panhandle in many aspects, but has especially helped increase the surface water among our playa lakes. Many producers are beginning to take advantage of this surface water for irrigation and we would like to encourage you to consider surface water a primary resource when available. 

District decline programs are based on water produced from the aquifer which we calculate using meters and taking water level measurements during the winter. If you plan to use surface water with any metered pivots there are a couple of options to help keep surface water and groundwater totals separate. If you are only pumping surface water through a metered pivot we suggest calling the office with a meter reading before pumping and when finished pumping. If you plan to use both surface water and groundwater we would like you to install an hour meter on the lake pump. Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District (PGCD) field technicians will perform a flow test to calculate GPM (gallons per minute) of the lake pump and total production of lake water. This is a voluntary program, but by participating it will show your conservation efforts and help keep the amount of groundwater produced accurate. Having inaccurate readings may have an effect on the delineation of both study and conservation areas in our annual depletion program. If we do not know that surface water is being used on your farm we must assume water produced is groundwater.

For more information or any questions please contact the PGCD office at (806) 883-2501.

50/50 Meter Cost Share

Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District (PGCD) was recently approved for a grant from the Texas Water Development Board which allows the District to 50/50 cost share meters with District producers. 

District rules state that wells drilled after December 2004 that are 4” in diameter or larger are required to have a meter placed on the well or pivot. Also, ALL wells that are located in a study area are required to have a meter in place. Producers in a newly designated study area can receive a meter from PGCD at no cost.

There are still opportunities available to District producers to purchase a meter through PGCD. Meters must be purchased before May 1, 2015 to take advantage of PGCD’s 50/50 cost share program.

For more information about purchasing or installing a meter, please contact the District office at (806) 883-2501.

Meter Grant Program Available at PGCD

Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District’s (PGCD) meter program was established in December 2004 and requires a meter to be installed on all new wells in the District with a discharge of 4” or greater.

On June 26 PGCD was approved for a grant from the Tex-as Water Development Board. This grant will allow PGCD to 50/50 cost share meters for existing wells within the District.

For producers recently placed into a study areas designated by the District, the placement of a meter on their wells is required. With this grant, producers in study areas will be eligible to receive a meter at no cost from PGCD if installed before March 1, 2015.

For more information about purchasing or installing a meter, please contact the PGCD office at (806) 883-2501.