March 23, 2006 - “Water is equally needed by everyone but not valued equally be everyone,” stated Dr. Monty Dozier, Texas Cooperative Extension water resources specialist. 

Dozier discussed a wide variety of water-related topics, ranging from water rights to protecting water quality, during the recent Northeast Texas Wildlife and Land Use Clinic held recently in Winnsboro.

Beginning his presentation, Dozier cited the example that the City of Winnsboro can deliver its residents 1,000 gallons at $4 per gallon. If the same 1,000 gallons were bought in a bottle, residents would have to pay about $7,000.

Since “four trillion gallons of water falls on the Earth every day,” one wouldn’t think there is a problem with having enough water to covert to drinking water. But the problem lies in “where the water falls,” Dozier explained.

Comparing water today to water in the early 1900s, Dozier stated, “In our time, water is more of a commodity by the citizens of Texas.”

This commodity is separated into two different means - surface water, which is owned by state and permit needed; and ground water, which falls under the law of capture.

Surface water is held by junior and senior water right holders. “As a landowner, I can sell or lease the right of that water,” hence reservoirs, etc.

He added watersheds and aquifers don’t respect county or state lines. 

There are two things to remember, according to Dozier, about watersheds. The first is everybody lives in one. The second is movement of water impacts others. 

One way the water can move is through leaching (movement of water through the soil profiles.)

Pollutants entering the water can be leached into other streams, and so forth.

 “What is the No. 1 contaminant in the U.S.?” Dozier asked. 

The answer is sediment. 

“If you can keep the soil on your place, you have done more for water quality than anything else.”

The water specialist said landowners can help protect water quality by maintaining pastures, knowing property application rates for pesticides, reading all labels and following all mixing directions, performing a soil test, fertilizing, managing applications when weather conditions or irrigation schedules are best for it, properly identifying pests and thresholds, spot treating weeds and diseases, triple rinsing and disposing of pesticide containers, and buying what is needed and store properly. “Let the Co-op store most of it,” he said about storage.

He also suggested maintaining a buffer system on the land, which will slow down the velocity of water.

Briefly touching on drift, he said the number one reason for drift is application during windy conditions. He noted it is important to write down the wind speed as it was during the time of pesticide application. “I will tell you, ‘calm’ is not a good term to the state.” The best times to spray is “early morning or late afternoon” because of lower humidity and temperatures.

On the subject of abandoned wells, Dozier explained to the landowners that if they  have one, they need to take care of it. “If (the abandoned well) can no longer deliver water, you as a landowner are responsible for that well.”

Landowners can plug the well themselves if there is less than 99-feet of standing water in the well. If there’s more, a licensed worker will have to do the job. Substances such as Bentonite, Portland concrete, and soil can be used to fill the well.

 Dozier concluded his presentation by briefly discussing rainwater harvesting. This process can be done fairly easily in East Texas, he said, and includes collecting rain water from a roof and/or gutter, and the system will include roof washers, overflow pipe, holding tank and screen. A one-inch rainfall would net around .6 gallons per square foot of roof.

 For more information about rainfall harvesting, go online to rainfallharvesting.tamu.edu.