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Low Plains Drifter in the High Plains Day 7 Drove from Waco, Texas, to Clovis, New Mexico. West Texas is flat, flat, FLAT. In the first part of the trip, the occasional mesa or small plateau would break the long views, but after Lubbock even those disappeared. After Lubbock, you enter the Llano Estacado -- the "Staked Plains," so-called because the area, which encompasses a large portion of West Central Texas and East Central New Mexico, is so flat and barren, so totally devoid of any landmarks, that the early settlers drove stakes in the ground for reference points. The area makes the prairies and plains of the Midwest look like the Swiss Alps. In crossing this barren landscape, I passed a road marker for Earth, which, you’ll be curious to know, is located on US 70. The folks in neighboring Muleshoe, Texas like to say, "We’re about 20 miles from Earth."
My hosts informed me that I was no longer a "low plains" drifter: the elevation at Clovis is 4800 feet above sea level. Day 8 After a leisurely and healthy breakfast, Paul fired up his pickup truck and we took a tour of the area. As we traveled along the back roads, he explained the terrain and what lies beneath it. Curry County, New Mexico, is at the southernmost end of the Ogallala Aquifer, a geologic formation of water-saturated sand and gravel that underlies much of the High Plains, from western South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, to eastern Colorado and New Mexico. The vast aquifer has been tapped for irrigation. Unfortunately, the water comes out faster than it’s replenished, so that parts of the vast Ogallala are being rapidly depleted. An official study by the New Mexico Water Resources Agency determined that such is the case in Curry County. The study concluded that if current rates of extraction continue, there will be nothing left of the water supply by 2010, just 8 short years hence. Unfortunately, Curry County officials have chosen to continue mining the waters heedless of future generations. While irrigated agriculture is the main draw on the Ogallala, the huge dairies aren’t helping the problem.
There is no surface drainage on the Llano Estacado, no streams or ditches, except those that lead to the playas.
The water that enters the playas effectively "recharges" the Aquifer. Unfortunately, that water is now infused with cow manure, as massive quantities of it are applied to land susceptible to run-off. Nitrogen levels have lately skyrocketed in wells that tap the aquifer. The upper limit for potable water, according to the US EPA, is 10 parts per million (10 ppm). Local drinking water wells have recently tested in the 20s and 30s. That isn’t good. "Blue Baby" syndrome is a well-known malady connected to high nitrate levels, but there are myriad other health risks as well. For all that, according to CCCW, the movers and shakers in the area -- also known as the "Clovis Aristocracy" –- continue to promote the economic benefits of the large dairies while simultaneously lobbying for more of them to move in. At present, there are 17 dairies in Curry County with over 1,000 Animal Units apiece. Rumor has it that applications are pending for 18 more. If those applications go through, the Ogallala Aquifer will be depleted long before 2010, since that date was based on existing water usage only. As such, CCCW has asked the Curry County Commission to place a moratorium on new dairy operations until their impact on water quality and quantity can be assessed. To this date, the Commission has not taken any such steps. Day 9 We (the Elders and I) perused maps of the Ogallala and reviewed water quality data. Afterward, a reporter for the Muleshoe Journal (located 20 miles from Earth) came by and did an extensive interview about my tour of the area. By noon, I was back on the road and headed for the Rocky Mountains and a few days R and R. Up to Top |
I arrived in Clovis, New Mexico in late afternoon and went to the residence/office/workshop of Paul and Kerri Elders -- community stalwarts,
Sierra Club members, and founders of Concerned Citizens for Clean Water (CCCW). After attending a meeting of the Clovis City Council (a unique experience), we talked well into the evening - way past my bedtime, especially now that I was on Mountain Time.
Many of these dairies, most of which have been constructed in the past 10 years, are transplants from California -- particularly the Chino Basin. When the State of California cracked down on the industry for polluting the groundwater there, the dairies simply packed up and left, moving to places like New Mexico, Texas, and Idaho -- states where animal agriculture is still relatively unregulated. So, in addition to overtaxing the aquifer, Concerned Citizens for Clean Water also fears that the dairies may be contaminating it.
Playas are essentially dry lakes, with hydrological connections to the Ogallala Aquifer. They vary in size from a few acres to several hundred acres.