Thursday, April 24, 2014

Texas Drought Forces Wichita Falls Residents to Take Desperate Measures to Keep Water Flowing


The bed of Lake Arrowhead sits dry, with vegetation growing, after several years of intense drought in Wichita Falls
It's hard to image a city of 105,000 running out of water, but that's the reality in Wichita Falls, Texas. A crippling four-year drought has taken this community to a place they've never been before.
"It's been awful here. We're entering our worst drought on record," said Russell Schreiber, the city's public works director, and the force behind one of the most controversial plans in Texas: The use of treated wastewater for public consumption. It's a bold move – and a tough sell.
Tim McMillin, a radio host and father in Wichita Falls, is one of the many residents who doesn't like the idea of drinking treated wastewater.
"Just the concept of drinking the water that yesterday you sent along its merry way ... I don't think anybody wants that."
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McMillin worries about his kids' safety when this new plan is instituted. "I have no way to test it myself," he said.
He won't have to just yet. The Texas Water Commission is reviewing more than 8,000 pages of data to ensure Wichita Falls' new state-of-the-art treatment facility is working.
http://www.weather.com/news/science/environment/wichita-falls-texas-cracked-20140423

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