The Cross Section, Volume 10, Number 4, September 1963 Page: 1
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wwwwr.rw rr r ... .... ..... ..... wr. ..... ..r.., ..... .. r.. rrA Monthly Publication of the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1
Volume 10-No. 4 "THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR WATER"
AT MIDLAND MEETING
GROUP ISCLXES SALTWATER POLLUTIlSeptember 1963
Problem Results
uN From FertilizerSalt-water pollution of fresh water
has been a source of concern to water
users of this area for some time.
Recently a group of persons interes-
ted in preventing pollution met in
.Midland to discuss one phase of this
problem.
Simply stated, the problem is this:
Oil companies for some years have,
in their production of oil and in their
disposal of wastes, injected contami-
nated water into underground strata.
In doing so, there is the possibility of
contaminating our fresh water supply
If wells used for injection of this
salt-water or "brine" are not con-
structed so as to protect the fresh
water formations, pollution could very
easily be the result.
The High P 1 a i n s Underground
Water Conservation District is charg-
ed by the state with the responsibility
of developing plans "for the control
and prevention of waste of under-
ground water, which plans shall speci-
fy in such detail as may be practicable
the acts, procedure, performance and
avoidance which are or may be neces-
sary to effect such plans, including
specifications therefor."
It is the feeling of the water dis-
tricts of this area that wells, drilled
and used by oil companies in the dis-
posal of oil field waste and in second-
ary recovery operations, should beMr. Ed Reed2 consulting hydrologist, of Midland
ed persons at the recent meeting in Midland
underground water supply.
constructed by the companies in a in Au
manner insuring the protection of Direct
underground water. Distri
In an effort to assure this protec- the N
tion of underground water, a set of scented
minimum standards was drawn at the of the
Midland m e e t i n g. These standards If t
are concerned with the construction an en
of wells used for subsurface injection tion o
of contaminating waters.
On September 26, this set of mini- achieve
mum standards was presented to the preve
Texas Water Pollution Control Board suppladdressed the group of interest-
on salt-water pollution of ourin Austin. Members of the Board of
Directors of the High Plains Water
District, along with the Directors of
the North Plains Water District pre-
sented testimony and data in support
of the minimum standards.
If these standards are adopted as
an enforceable criteria for construc-
tion of injection wells, we will have
achieved another forward-step in the
prevention of pollution of our water
supply.CLflUDETTEIcIlflISflAIEDCROSS SCT0I0 flD1
OR
Claudette McInnis, f o r m e r 1 y of
Brownwood, has been named editor of
The Cross Section. she is a June
graduate of Texas Technological Col-
lege where she majored in journalism.
While at Tech, Miss McInnis served
on the staff of the Toreador, the
campus newspaper, and the La Ven-
tana, the college year book. Also at
Tech, she was a member of the Rodeo
Club, Aggie Club and Block and Bridle
Club. In 1959 Claudette was named
"Aggie of the Month" at Tech. This
was the first time for a freshman
girl to receive the award for making
a definite contribution to the School
of Agriculture at Tech.
In 1961, Miss McInnis attended Kan-
sas State University, where she was
assistant editor of the Ag Student, an
agricultural magazine for K a n s a s
farms and agrarian type industries.
Also at Kansas State, she was a mem-
ber of the Plow and Pen Club, anorganization to further interest in
the field of agricultural journalism.
Having been a member of 4-H Club
for 11 years, Miss McInnis engaged in
such projects as livestock, p u b 1 i c
speaking, farmer cooperative demon-
strations, food preparation and recre-
ation. She fed and exhibited steers
in such major livestock shows as
Houston, Kansas City, Ft. Worth, San
Antonio, and Denver.
Miss McInnis worked as news-editor
of the Lamb County Leader and Coun-
ty-Wide News of Littlefield during
her last semester at Tech. She was
also a laboratory instructor in the
Journalism Department at Tech.
The new editor has served on the
board of directors for both the Texas
and American Junior Hereford As-
sociations. She was a member of the
first board and the first secretary of
the Texas Junior Hereford, Associa-
tion.By DON REDDELL
In many areas of the United States,
contamination of rivers and streams
by fertilizers, insecticides, and other
chemicals has been the basis for much
concern. Rachel Carson, in her book
Silent Spring, has caused considerable
controversy over the use of chemicals.
One of the interesting facts, as a
result of this controversy, is that nitro-
gen fertilizer can pollute ground water
supplies. The farmer, in his attempt
to increase the yields from his farm
is applying nitrogen fertilizer at an
h ever increasing rate. When fertilizer
st- is added to the soil, nitrates are leach-
ur ed out by rain or irrigation water and
are carried downward through the
i of soil to the ground water supply. The
ater extent of this process depends on
of many variables, one of which is the
pre- nitrate level of the ground water that
could increase to a fairly high leveL
I as Nitrate Limit Suggested
ruc- The U. S. Public Health Service
iave recommends a nitrate limit of 45
the parts per million in drinking water.
ater Some authorities believe that a con-
centration of more than 10 parts per
million can cause a harmful affect on
the h e a 1 t h of children under six
months old.
If the nitrate level of ground water
supply should increase to such a high
level, then the use of the water for
human consumption would create a
health problem.
Agronomist Views Problem
Another interesting facet of this
problem has been pointed out by Don-
ald E. Longenecker, Associate Agron-
mist Substation 17, El Paso, in an ar-
ticle written for the Texas Agricul-
tural Progress. Longenecker says thatthe presence of nitrates in the irriga-
tion water means that savings in the
amount of nitrogen applied to the soil
could be made. More important than
the savings on fertilizer cost is the
possibility that some farmers may be
lowering yields by too much nitrogen.
Too much nitrogen can reduce yields
by causing excessive vegetative growth
(Continued On Page 3).j>a
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High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1 (Tex.). The Cross Section, Volume 10, Number 4, September 1963, periodical, September 1963; Lubbock, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1532862/m1/1/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.