5/01/08 Potential Fire Wx

[Billy Griffin]

While most are focusing on their preliminary chase plans for this coming Wednesday / Thursday timeframe, it looks like the High Plains of western Kansas, the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles, and even western Oklahoma could experience a very severe fire weather day on Thursday.

http://forecast.weather.gov/showsig...les+S+Mobeetie+TX&product1=Fire+Weather+Watch

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/enhanced.php?map=3

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/exper/fire_wx/

In addition, a serious dust storm could be in order for the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, as well as western Kansas behind the cold front!

 

[Jay McCoy]

We have been on constant fire watch since febuary with multiple large fiore back in March. I can tell you between my emergency service unit, the fire dept, DEM, and forest service we would dance naked in the streets for a nice 3 day soaking rain. Hell 1 day of rain would be nice.

we wll be in the upper 80's this week with 90 on thursday and humidity levels of less than 10 percent. Lake Meridith is at its all time low of about 47' with only about 25' of pumpable drinking water left. It is so low the dam is totally exposed and not even needed. It is at its lowest point since being created. This area is getting into a critical area in being able to supply drinking water. We will depend totally on the Ogallah Aquifer soon which would use it up faster. And yet they say nothing about water conservation or restrictions.

 

[Billy Griffin]

Jay, whatever happened to the de-salinization (spelling?) pipeline supply I was hearing about a few years ago when I lived in Dumas? Something was being said around town about the water supply getting so bad that some massive project was being considered to pipeline water from the Gulf of Mexico up to the High Plains.

Did I imagine that or have you heard anymore about it?

Like you, I'm quite uneasy as to what the High Plains will face in the next 25 years with the long-term drought and climate change!
Dewpoint of 9 degrees in Dumas, TX right now. Dewpoint of -2 in Alamosa, CO !!! Frightening how dry it is and it appears no relief in sight for the upcoming future.
I'm really concerned this is going to be a really awful wildfire year for much of the southern Rockies and High Plains. Red Flag and Fire Wx Watches are all over the place!

 

[Jay McCoy]

The desalinization plant was actually to remove all the salt and minerals already in Lake Merediths water from the canadian river source. Amarillo already has to mix ground water with lake water 50/50 then process and purify it just to remove as much of the taste as possible not to mention the corrosion effect. Amarillo has very hard water even after purifying.

Once the lake gets to 25' the level is below the pumps in place now and mostly what is left is so salty and mineralized it really isnt cleanable without a desalinization system. In fact many of the fish will die off from lack of fresh water. THe problem is the canadian river and much of the lake is surroundd by salt cedars which sucks up tons of water and releases salt. They have a program which is removing them as fast as possible but there are just so many miles of shoreline covered in these things.

Meredith has always been a pretty good size lake is is a major recreational area but now it is very hard to even boat safely due to all the treees and sand bars becoming exposed. There is now only 1 boat ramp available and that is only becasue they keep extending it. Meredith is a national park but there wont be much for tourists soon. The surrounding towns that depend on the lake like Fritch are dying also.

I think the pipeline you were thinking of is from that jackass T. Boone Pickens who bought tons of water rights in Roberts county and plans on pumping ground water out and pipe it down to places like San Antonio to help solve their water issues.. damn be the panhandle and our water needs. Stupid farmers looking for a quick dollar sold most of their water rights over to him. Hopefully ol' T. Boone will keel over dead before its built.

 

[Wesley Luginbyhl]

I thought that lake was in bad shape at 60', I cant imagine below 50'. Next time I am back home I will have to go see it before it is gone. I use to always camp near the water at Cedar Canyon in high school. To camp by the water now you have to drive probably close to 1/4 mile or more farther down the canyon to be by the water. If Pickens gets that pipeline built and starts draining what little water is in the Panhandle, it is not going to be good. Here is an article I came across when working on a project for school about Pickens and those water rights - New York Times Article.

Everytime I go home to Borger there seems to a fire somewhere near by ever since 2005. I sure hope May and June can bring some rain out there or it is going be a long summer.