Panhandle Water News, October 2014 Page: Panhandle Water News
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Panhandle Water News
2014-2015 Tax Rate
During the August 20 board meeting, Panhandle Groundwa-
ter Conservation District's Board of Directors approved the
2014-2015 tax rate. The tax rate will be 0.00802/$100 valuation,
down from 0.00848/$100 in 2013-2014.
Education Program
Starting 15thYear
Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District (PGCD) is
starting up the fifteenth year of their education program. The
program was created in 1999 and has since reached out to thou-
sands of students across the District. It is stated in PGCD's man-
agement plan for the District to reach out to at least 80 percent
of the schools within the district boundaries to teach them about
water conservation. However, our goal is to reach 100 percent of
the schools to ensure we are making an impact on the im-
portance of water conservation to our future generations.
The program focuses on fifth grade students, teaching them
about the importance of water conservation, the water cycle, the
Ogallala Aquifer, where our water comes from, and playa lakes.
Many of the topics discussed teach them objectives that they are
tested on in the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readi-
ness test, making it a great educational aid for teachers. We also
have an underground flow model that shows the kids visually
how wells work, what the aquifer looks like, and how water
flows beneath the earth. At the end of the presentation we give
the students a water saving kit that allows them to take conser-
vation practices into their homes.
It is a great tool for educating our youth about water conser-
vation and we are excited to be able to start another year in the
classrooms. If you would like to schedule an education presenta-
tion or would like any other type of presentation given please
contact Korri Packard at the PGCD office at (806) 883-2501 or
by email at pgcd_education@yahoo.com.
Ag Loans Available
Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District's Ag Loan
program provides low interest loans to producers within the
District for center pivot sprinklers, drip irrigation systems, soil
moisture probes and other water saving equipment. Approxi-
mate funds remaining are $1,040,000.00 at an interest rate of
1.12 percent.
For more information about this program please contact
Julie Bennett at the District's office at (806) 883-2501.Forecast for Fall and
Winter Cooler and Wetter
The fall and early winter is forecasted to be colder and
wetter, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center. Even though
the Texas Panhandle has received more rain this year and is
close to normal rainfall received in some areas, the majority of
the Panhandle remains in a severe drought with some areas in
the Northwest Panhandle still in the extreme to exceptional cate-
gories. Figure 1 shows the U.S. Drought Monitor from Septem-
ber 16.
U.S. Drought Monitor September 16 2014
'Mid 8 a.m. EDT
/
sLs
Fiur 1:. U.S. DruhtMni Septembe 16,20
60-6 pe n chnc of El N.o fomn in the v N rthrn Hemi- ns79 94
sphere ~ ~ ~ ~ 6mnli thsfl n wne nis etme ENS eola Eloi50
SAuthr Osilain digotcdicsin E iOi chaOlnrac-
NCficOJ wh-ichisknwntbrn inrese raifal acrsthe south-
ern U.S. Fiur 2a shw hDe ufceprtr aomlie
DaExep- naDrtun
L ut~nl ' a t 'd1lNI rrY
;.sue } USDA '
-3 -..-1 - .5,..... 1 2 3
http://d roughtmonitor.u nieduf
Figure U: aS. Drought Monitor September 16, 2014
NOAA has issued an El Nino watch and says there is a
60-65 percent chance of El Nifio forming in the Northern Hemi-
sphere this fall and winter in its September 4 ENSO (El Niflo!
Southern Oscillation) diagnostic discussion. El Niflo is charac-
terized by unusually warmer temperatures in the Equatorial Pa-
cific which is known to bring increased rainfall across the south-
ern U.S. Figure 2 shows the sea surface temperature anomalies
across the Equatorial Pacific which is mostly characterized by
SST Anomalies ('C)
27 AUG 2014
12E 14ME I&OE 160 160w t4W 120W 100W awW
Figure 2: Average sea surface temperatures anomalies ( C)
across Equatorial Paciic.1
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Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District. Panhandle Water News, October 2014, periodical, October 2014; White Deer, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth639873/m1/2/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.