Just heard of 6 residential wells going dry about 5 miles from my farm. I hit water at 170, went another 70 feet just to be safe for times like these, and I hope I am. I feel guilty for some reason that I've been pumping 24/7 for the last 45-50 days. We've had under .20" of precipitation in the last 60 days and at least 2 weeks over 100...I had no choice but to pump, or lose my ponds.

Lusk has often intimated that as water gets scarce our interests as pond owners are going to be threatened, and we need to pay attention and stick together. Our rights rank below ranchers, farmers, and homeowners who need it to survive. I guess that makes sense - I'm technically a "recreational user" as a pond owner, and I'll be the first to relinquish rights on that list. That's why I registered my ponds/farm with the state of Nebraska as a fish hatchery this Spring - hoping it would protect my water rights in the future. Not sure it will fully protect me, but will surely provide more protection than I had as a "recreational" user and hopefully group me with farmers and ranchers.

I hope these recent cooler temps will help my main pond fill. Seems I'm only keeping up with evaporation now...maybe gaining an inch every 3 days, and I'm down four feet and the water is getting pretty dark - lowest visibility since it was first excavated. It's pretty nutrient rich and the blooms are getting pretty frequent and dense which is a first for my ponds. Getting me on edge, so I'm done feeding until I gain at least another foot through irrigation or some precipitation just to sleep better at night.

Any other wells going dry out there?

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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