Panhandle PBS
The Quest to Rehydrate the Plains
Panhandle PBS in Amarillo recently debuted The Rain We Keep, a multi-part documentary for television and streaming that shines a spotlight on how life in the Texas Panhandle will change if the unsustainable draining of the Ogallala Aquifer is not altered.
The series, a related podcast, and an outreach project are now all available for public viewing, listening, and partnership film screening events around the topic of water conservation in Texas and beyond.
Background
The Ogallala Aquifer is the primary source of water on the Texas High Plains, and we’re draining that tank far faster than nature can refill it. By some estimates, our region and others could run out of groundwater by the end of this century. Texas Panhandle residents need only look to the South Plains and Eastern New Mexico, on the thinning fringes of the aquifer, to see towns already challenged by declining water supplies. Some say it’s not about the rain we get. It’s about the rain we keep. Will Masters of Amarillo and a team of volunteers work to build natural dams that will slow, spread and sink water into the earth instead of letting it drain away.
Chris Grotegut of Dawn, Eric Simpson of Shallowater, and Ricky Lockmiller of Curry County, N.M., have drastically changed how they farm to reduce water use. Agriculture generated about $10 billion for the Texas Panhandle regional economy from 2013-2017. Teams of research scientists here are searching for new ways to conserve water, testing sustainable agricultural practices and developing more drought resistant crops. Other scientists, wildlife biologists and nonprofits, backed by millions of dollars in federal funding, are reclaiming local playa lakes not only for the water they recharge to the aquifer, but also for wildlife and a restored ecosystem.
“So there’s a learned powerlessness,” Masters said. “I think we’ve been taught that there’s nothing we can do about it. And it took a while for me to come to the realization that that’s not true. It’s a myth. It’s a falsehood.”
Inspire
It is these stories and more that The Rain We Keep series explores, providing education and hopeful inspiration to viewers anywhere, free of charge, through Panhandle PBS’s broadcast platform, YouTube channel, and website. The goal for Panhandle PBS and its partners is to encourage viewers to see possibilities for progress if enough of us make changes.
Television Series
The television series includes four episodes of The Rain We Keep that explore the following topics:
EPISODE 1: MYTHS AND REALITY
Explore the story of the historically misunderstood Ogallala Aquifer, learning how it formed and how Americans tapped into it not only for themselves but to water crops to feed the world. View the episode here.
EPISODE 2: HYPERLOCAL RECHARGE
Meet people who are trying to recharge the Ogallala Aquifer. Will Masters of Amarillo, Texas, and a team of volunteers work to build natural dams that will slow, spread, and sink water into the earth instead of letting it drain away. Farmer/rancher Chris Grotegut of Dawn, Texas, says he is seeing his well water levels rise as a result of restoring playa lakes on his property. View the episode here.
EPISODE 3: FARMING IS GENERATIONAL
Farmers discuss the decision to give up irrigated agriculture to grow less lucrative dryland crops, a hard choice because of the millions of dollars that can be invested in farming equipment. A conservancy in Eastern New Mexico is paying farmers to make the switch and save the water rights for communities there. Farmers talk about returning animals to the land and other moves to restore whole ecosystems and promote water conservation. View the episode here.
EPISODE 4: PRESERVATION MINDSET
Flipping the script from a mining culture to a conservation culture. Some efforts to save water may be large, others small. Some by industries and governments, others by individuals. But, preserving the Ogallala Aquifer will take all of us. View the episode here.
Free Film Screening Kits
Panhandle PBS has now made the series available to interested groups and educators as part of a new outreach effort called “Screening in a Box”. Participants will receive a thumb drive, by mail, free of charge, with all four episodes of The Rain We Keep, a discussion guide for both general audiences, classroom students, and additional resources to conduct one or more film screenings of episodes or clips they decide fits their organization’s outreach efforts on the topic of water conservation.
Podcast
The Rain We Keep Podcast covers the topics of getting started with xeriscaping, a quest to make Amarillo a food hub, hydroponic farming, and what Amarillo does to conserve water. The series is available through the Panhandle PBS website, as well as through Spotify, and other streaming platforms.
Sustainability isn’t an issue for the future, it’s an issue for today. For that reason, the station also recently launched a YouTube series called Sustain the Plains to continue the conversation about water conservation and other issues facing Texas residents. Head over to the Panhandle PBS YouTube channel, here, to view current and past episodes, or to subscribe.
Support for The Rain We Keep is provided by the Tecovas Foundation and Carol K. Engler Foundation. Support for the “Screening in a Box” outreach effort and Sustain the Plains is provided by the Carol K. Engler Foundation.
The content for this article was provided by Cullen Lutz, Community Impact Manager, Panhandle PBS.