Published monthly by High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1, 2930 Avenue Q, Lubbock, Texas 79405-Ph. 762-0181 Volume 40-No. 1 THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR WATER January 1994 Southern counties to elect District Directors, County Committee members Registered voters in eight counties within the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1 will elect District Directors and County Committee members on Saturday, January 15, 1994. Directors Precinct One Residents of District Director's Precinct One, consisting of the portion of Crosby County above the escarpment and all of Lubbock and Lynn Counties, are currently represented on the Board of Directors by James P. Mitchell of Wolfforth, who is running unopposed. Mitchell was first elected to the Water District Board of Directors in January 1976 and has served as President of the Board since 1979. Crosby County Committee can­ didates are Dale Laminack, County Commissioners' Precinct One; Jimmy JAMES P. MITCHELL STANLEY MILLER GILBERT FAWVER R. Wheeless, Precinct Two; Mark Incumbent District Director Incumbent District Director Incumbent District Director Schoepf, Precinct Three; Matthew Precinct One Precinct Two Precinct Five Wilmeth, Precinct Four; and Donald Edwards, Precinct Four; and Steve didates are Richard Williams, Com­ Lamb County Committee can­ Kirksey, member-at-large. Miller, member-at-large. missioners' Precinct One; Dennis didates are Royce Collins, Precinct Lubbock County Committee can­ Brown, Precinct Two; Dennis Lemons, One; Henrian Enloe, Precinct Two; didates are Jackie L. Brown, County Directors Precinct Two Brad Heffington, Precinct Three; Paul Commissioners' Precinct One; Larry Incumbent Stanley Miller of Precinct Three; Jimmy Mullinax, Precinct Four; and John D. Srygley, Yarborough, Precinct Four; and Jerry Gamble, Precinct Two; Rynn Truett, Amherst is running unopposed for Goheen, member-at-large. Precinct Three; Roy Lee " Rocky" Director of District Directors' Precinct member-at-large. Blair II, Precinct Four; and Herman Two, consisting of Cochran and most Hockley County Committee can­ Directors Precinct Five Lorenz, member-at-large. of Hockley and Lamb Counties. didates are Larry Smith, Commis­ Gilbert Fawver, current Director of Lynn County Committee candi­ Miller was appointed by the Board to sioners' Precinct One; Mike McKee, Director's Precinct Five, was first dates are John Earl Fields, Com­ serve the unexpired term of Mack Precinct Two; Scott Fred, Precinct elected to the Board of Directors in missioner s' Precinct One; W. A. Hicks of Levelland, who died in Three; Jim Copeland, Precinct Four; 1982 and is currently serving as Vice­ "Billy" Russ, Precinct Two; Glen March 1990. and Rodney McMillan, member-at­ President. He faces David Appling of "Burley" Brewer, Precinct Three; John Cochran County Committee can- large. Floydada and Bruce Rigler of Plain­ view in this race to represent the residents of the part of Floyd County Celebrating 40 years of water conservation news above the escarpment and all of Hale County. " ... We shall endeavor to present to After reading these articles, we center pivot sprinklers with Low Floyd County Committee candi­ you a cross section of the present day hope you experience a little nostalgia, Energy Precision Application (LEP A) dates are Edwin Nutt, Precinct One; activities in the field of Underground as well as a great feeling of pride at systems. Since water losses associat­ Charles W. Huffman, Precinct Two; Water as an instrument for keeping in the water conservation accomplish­ ed with wind drift, evaporation and Nathan Johnson, Precinct Three; AC. THE touch with the plans ments achieved by District residents. deep percolation are virtually elimi­ Pratt, Precinct Four; and F. L. a~d f~nctions of your For example, many agricultural nated, irrigation application efficien­ Montandon III, member-at-large. CROSS District." producers have begun to use surge cies as high as 95 percent may be Hale County Committee candi­ SECTION With these _words, valves to improve their furrow irriga­ achieved. dates are Mike Ferguson, Precinct The Cross Sectzon was tion application efficiencies. Water We are proud to have had the One; Carroll Leon, Precinct Two; introduced to readers savings of 10 to 40 percent are possi­ opportunity to share these success Tommie H. Wages, Precinct Three; by High Plains Water ble by reducing and/ or eliminating stories with you during the past 40 Birt Lane, Precinct Four; and Kevin District general man­ deep percolation and tailwater losses. years of conservation reporting in The Igo, member-at-large. ager Tom McFarland Most open, unlined ditches have Cross Section. We now turn to the Polling Places and Editor F. B. Jeu given way to underground pipelines. future in anticipation of the many Polling places will be open from 7 Devine in June 1954. These pipelines help eliminate water innovations it holds with regard to a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, January 15, To commemorate our 40th year of losses ranging from 10 to 30 percent ground water conservation. 1994. The voting places and publication, some articles and pho­ per 1,000 feet of open ditch. presiding judges are as follows: tographs from 1954 will be reprinted Other area producers have Carmon McCain in The Cross Section throughout 1994. replaced high pressure, above-line Editor See POLLING Page Three Page2 THE CROSS SECTION January 1994 Technical Division staff now making annual depth-to-water measurements Technical Division staff members monitoring program." was measured is affixed to are now making annual depth-to­ In future years, some of these wells equipment at the well site. water measurements to determine the will be dropped and new wells added The observation wells are mea­ effect of 1993 pumpage on ground as efforts are made to build the best sured each year, and the data col­ water levels of the Ogallala Aquifer program possible to reflect represen­ lected is com pared with that of within the 15-county Water District tative changes in water levels for each previous years to determine any service area. area of Hale County. changes in the ground water levels of The data collection started January Technical Division staff members the Ogallala Aquifer within the Water 3rd and will continue through take the measurement by lowering a District service area. This data is February. steel tape to the depth of the current used to construct maps showing Measurements are taken in the static water level inside the changes in water levels and the District's network of about 1,160 observation well. The lower ten to saturated thickness of the aquifer privately-owned observation wells. fifteen feet of the tape is coated with within the District. These wells are spaced at a density of blue carpenters' chalk. When the Maps showing the location and about one well per nine square miles chalk comes in contact with the throughout the District. ground water, it turns a darker shade well number of observation wells in "We have established observation of blue. This section of wetted tape is each county or portion of a county well sites for the newly-annexed subtracted from the total amount of served by the District are portions of Cochran and Lynn tape lowered into the well to traditionally published in the April Counties," says Don McReynolds, determine the depth-to-water from issue of The Cross Section. Along with Depth-to-Water Technical Division Director. "In land surface. the maps, tables listing the Engineer Technician Terry Bridges the portion of Hale County added After the depth-to-water-level observation wells in each county and makes a depth-to-water measure­ to the Water District in August, we measurement is taken, the data is the depth-to-water measurements for ment in one of the 1, 160 observation plan to measure depths-to-water recorded and a vinyl sticker showing one year (1993 to 1994), five year wells within the District's 15-county in wells currently included in the the well number, the depth-to-water (1989 to 1994) and ten year intervals service area. State of Texas ground water measurement, and the date the well (1984 to 1994) will also be printed. District cost-in-water income tax depletion allowance: Past and present EDITOR'S NOTE-The following story allowance for the depletion of from the June 1954 Cross Section d etails underground water. First, it will be the first steps that the High Plains Water necessary to establish that the District took to obtain a cost-in-water landowner has a cost in his income tax depletion allowance for area underground water as distin­ landown ers. The Wa ter Distr ict h as guished from the cost of the soil; provided this service since 1965.-CEM. second, it will be necessary to establish that the underground * ** water is depleted through its use; The High Plains Underground and third, it will be necessary to Water Conservation District has re­ establish the annual rate at which ceived a number of inquiries in such depletion occurs. Obviously recent months relative to the in areas where pumping does not possibility of obtaining the deplete the underground water approval of the Internal Revenue supply, the landowner would not Service for an expense deduction be entitled to an allowance for for income tax purposes of the cost water depletion. However in places value of under­ where underground water is being THE ground water depleted by continuous use, it It's Tax Time which is de­ would appear that a deduction Internal Revenue Service engineers recently reviewed cost-in-water guidelines CROSS pleted by use should be allowed the landowner and approved decline data developed by the Water District for use by landown­ SECTION for municipal, as a compensation for the asset ers in claiming a cost-in-water income tax depletion allowance on their 1993 ind us trial and (water) consumed in the production federal income tax returns.