Water concerns moved closer to San Angelo. It started with Barnhart's public wells running dry due to the oilfield. The town proposed buying water from the City of San Angelo.
Now residents in Irion County are upset over Spring Creek's not flowing and well levels dropping. One Sherwood resident is selling water to the oilfield and his neighbors are hopping mad.
The South Pool at Twin Buttes dwindles daily. Nearly three months ago the land pictured above was under eight feet of water. The South Pool is the only body of water with historically reliable water flow from the South Concho River. Unfortunately, the South Concho is in peril in our current environment.
The San Angelo Standard Times quoted oilfield activity as a 1% user of water statewide. Water demands in the Eagle Ford Shale rose 5 to 7% from oilfield activity. The area around San Antonio gets more moisture than West Texas. I'd imagine the increased demands will run around 10% in our region. Combine that with a drought and it's easy to see how neighbors get mad at neighbors.
San Angelo's recently retired Mayor said the oilfield "smelled like money." That may be true for him and those selling water to the oilfield, but it smells like misery to many other longtime residents.
Update 7-13-13: Two homes burned in Big Lake due to fire hydrants not operating due to lack of pressure.
1 comment:
I find it rather entertaining that many of the same farmers that are "hopping mad" at their neighbors for selling water to the oil industry have no problem with pumping this water out as fast as they can to dump it on their cotton crops.
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