FRITCH, TEXAS -- So far, Amarillo residents have used more water this year than we did last year. In Potter and Randall Counties, last June we used an average of nearly 53 million gallons of water a day. But in June of this year we used an average of nearly 64 million gallons a day.
Those usage numbers aren't good considering the levels at Lake Meredith.
On Wednesday, the lake set a new record low, dropping close to 44 feet. It's the last thing that Lake Meredith officials wanted to do, but starting this week or next, they're going to add new wells out at their Roberts County well field.
Lake Meredith General Manager, Kent Satterwhite can't believe what he's seeing. In only a decade Meredith has dropped close to 20 feet setting a new low. It's something he thought would never happen.
"It's disappointing to say the least we're killing salt cedar and doing what we think we can do to try and help the situation, but now we're at the mercy of Mother Nature."
When the Roberts County well fields were created, the water was only to be used for 25% of its cities. But with the lake seeing tough times, it's being used as a main source of water for some towns.
"We'd love not to use those wells we would love to use lake water, but it's just not there to use, and if it wasn't for the well field we'd be in trouble to say the least." Satterwhite just hopes the lake can see what other areas just north of him have seen.
"A good rain, a high intensity rain in certain areas of our water shed, and rain that will sit and rain for a while like what they got in Hansford County."
Satterwhite says without rain on average, the lake can drop close to half an inch every other day.
