more manageable to inhabit the terrestrial sur-
face, finding sustenance in other life on the sur-
face. The humans thrived on the bountiful plan-
et and began to roam free over the lands, find-
ing their way to lands they later called the
Americas.
“The humans grew more adept at surviving
in harsh environments and overcoming chal-
lenges to their existence and longevity, allowing
them to multiply in large numbers. They began
to “conquer” the world, harvesting the land and
spreading seeds of both plant and animal life far
and wide. Their progress was seen as the noblest
manifestation of destiny, and the humans settled
arid lands in America thinking the rain would
follow the plough. They believed the world
would bend to their will and continue to sustain
them no matter what they did. One day, the
ancient, unseen life force of the aquifer water
inside the world was discovered and the humans
began to extract it. Over time they built bigger
and more powerful ways to go deeper, obtain
more, and transport the water farther. Even
though it was believed some aquifers wouldn’t
“grow back,” and the humans knew the land
above the aquifer supplied much of their food
and would be worthless without water, they
took with abandon.
“A place called “Texas” was a perfect exam-
ple for this tale. In Texas flowed many under-
ground aquifers, large and small, as well as
rivers and streams. Human intellect grew, along
with the desire to possess the land and its
resources. Numerous guidelines were needed. A
Rule of Capture was instituted in Texas. It pro-
claimed that landowners had the right to extract
water from below their property for any pur-
pose regardless of extraordinary conditions
(such as drought) and regardless of the conse-
quences
to
surrounding
landowners.
Groundwater Districts were established to gov-
ern the aquifers and other water sources for the
protection of the water. However, the lack of
restraints on the Rule of Capture led to dimin-
ished supplies and the deterioration of water
quality in many parts of Texas. Policies were
adopted to regulate groundwater withdrawals
but the differences and inconsistencies in the
new policies, and variations in enforcement
among the many districts, made the outdated
Rule of Capture the prevalent groundwater
law. This led to overuse and over-extraction.
“On the surface of Texas, coexisting and
interacting with the aquifers, was a grand river
traversing an expansive desert on its way to the
sea. The river began dendritic in the snow-
capped mountains that divided the North
American continent. As the humans took over,
they dammed up sections of the great river,
sending portions of it to irrigate the arid land
and bring prosperity to the region. The great
river became impaired. As the grand river con-
tinued its trek toward the sea, it flowed near a
large settlement within a mountain pass where
little rain fell. Many people lived in the settle-
ment and took water from the aquifer nearby as
well as from the river. Because the aquifer and
the river were interconnected, both suffered.
“As the dwindling river wound south, it
joined a fuller river known as the Rio Conchos.
The river gained momentum, improving its
health somewhat. At a point near where the
grand river turned east, it went through a sacred
place the humans came to call Big Bend
National Park. After it left the park, the river’s
vitality increased due to spring flow from an
unseen aquifer.
“Big Bend National Park was a place where
great care was taken to protect the natural
world and its ecology. Few people chose to live
in the area as it was in a large desert. However,
due to its harsh conditions, the park retained
more purity than other lands. It possessed a sin-
gular, majestic beauty with mountains, canyons,
and large skies. The hardy humans who chose
to live within range of the park learned to adapt
to the demands of life in the desert. They har-
vested sparse rainfall, safeguarded water
resources, and worked to manage their lifestyles
and community to be as sustainable as possible.
This is the end of the tale ….. for now.” With
that, the horned lizard skittered away into the
shade of a rock.
As I sat there in shock but also intrigued, my
friend approached, loaded with hiking guides
and fresh water.
When I told my friend about the talking
lizard, although he may have thought I’d gotten
into some sort of hallucination-inducing plant,
he humored me by listening. Piggybacking off
the lizard’s tale, he explained more about water
in the Big Bend.
Although West Texas and the Big Bend area
are remote, they are part of a larger, intercon-
nected system. The surface water is in relation-
ship with the ground water. The aquifers,
although separate, are intertwined with leaky
edges and the bottoms of surface water. The
architecture of the water system is not fully
known. Aquifers could be described as similar to
a fine sponge made of rock and sediment, able
to hold water for megaannums. (They’re not
underground lakes and canals, it’s not Middle
Earth, and aquifers aren’t made out of jelly.)
Precipitation that makes it through the long
journey from the clouds to the aquifers is called
recharge. Rain and snow melt flow into rivers
and streams as run off. Precipitation also drains
into fractures and filters downward via dry
creeks and riverbeds where gravity leads it
downstream and to aquifers. Some aquifers are
rechargeable, some are not. Jeff Bennett, physi-
cal scientist and hydrologist at Big Bend
National Park, tells us it’s generally accepted
that recharge occurs during years with above-
average rainfall. In BBNP the average rainfall
varies with the elevation, but in Panther
Junction average rain-
fall is about 13 inches
per year. In 2014, continued on page 10
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