Dry, thirsty soil haunt a student’s drive as he makes his way from Iowa Park to school. Rain seems as far as his daily commute, but there is no sign it is coming. About 77 percent of the campus commute just like him from cities that purchase water from Wichita falls. The city is in stage three of the drought.
“It’s about the same up here [Wichita Falls] as to where I live with the water restrictions,” Sean Newton, sophomore in nursing and resident of Archer City said. “It’s definitely something our minds.”
Wichita Falls sells raw, untreated water to Archer city, Olney, Windthorst, Red River Authority, and Wichita Valley nursery. Treated water is sold to Archer County Municipal Utility District, Burkburnett, Friberg Cooper, Holliday, Iowa Park, Lakeside City, Pleasant Valley, Scotland, Wichita Valley nursery, and Sheppard Air Force Base. Wichita Falls must sell water to these cities even though it is in stage three of the drought.
“It would be very beneficial for us not to sell water, but the cost of water would increase in the other cities,” Daniel Nix, utilities operation manager for Wichita Falls, said. “It would also be very illegal for us to do so.”
The city is under contract to sell water and not selling water would only benefit Wichita Falls and the cost of water would increase in the other cities. Burkburnett, one of the cities that purchases water from Wichita Falls produces about 75 to 80 percent of their own water. The city has 68 ground water wells, a treatment plant that produces two million gallons a day, and a well field.
“A unique thing about our city is that we already have a water reuse sewer plant,” Mike Whaley, assistant city manager for Burkburnett, said. “We had that prior to the water shortage.”
The sewer plant provides water for irrigation purposes like fields and golf courses. The city also sells reuse water to local schools. The sewer plant produces eight to nine million gallons of water each month for the city to use. However, the city still falls short when the peak demand for water arises.
“We don’t make enough water out of our well field to give to residents,” Whaley said. “This is why we buy water from [Wichita Falls].
Burkburnett has a contract to begin drilling 25 more wells sometime next spring to help the city reserve water and refrain from buying water from Wichita Falls.
“If things are so difficult right now, then they [Wichita Falls] might need to look at other options than selling the water,” Bee Quesada, junior in English and local resident, said.
Even with the continuance of selling water, commuters feel the effect of the drought in their daily lives.
“I work at the funeral home in Archer City, and we used to get free water and the city council just enacted that we can’t get [free] water anymore,” Newton said.
Archer City has started looking for alternative water sources. According to transcripts from the City council meeting held Sept.3, City Manager George Huffman said a nearby landowner is willing to sell water to the city from wells located on his property, about 20 miles from Archer City. Equipment would have to be purchased and installed at city expense. Huffman said the water should be tested to determine if the city can use the water, but no further actions have been taken.
Archer City purchases raw water out of Lake Kickapoo. The raw water is pumped to Archer City and treated at the Archer City Water Treatment Plant.
“The citizens of Archer City have done an outstanding job of conserving water during the extreme drought our area has experienced, and they are taking the drought very seriously,” Kim Whitsitt, secretary for Archer City said.
“We try to conserve as much water as possible to keep from getting surcharges,” Newton said.
Under contract, any city that buys water from Wichita Falls must enter the same stage of drought the city is in.
“Their drought plan may look different, but they will be at the same level,” Nix said. “If they can’t demonstrate this, then I can restrict how much water they get. I can install a flow restriction device and they can only get so much water.”
Each city is obligated to reduce its water usage by 35 percent to ensure preservance. Because of this, businesses that use a lot of water like car washes must close on certain days.
“I haven’t been able to get my car washed,” Sylvester Contreras, sophomore in biology and local resident said. “I have to wait for it to rain.”
Wichita Falls still looks for alternatives to meet the water demand. Although the city remains in stage three of the drought, it is no mystery as to whom it affects.
“The drought is affecting the region period whether you commute or not,” Nix said.
