Texas Wants to See What the Drought Looks Like to You
The Texas Water Development Board’s most recent drought report showed that 97 percent of the state is still experiencing some level of drought. So what does a state that parched look like?
The agency, along with Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Texas Department of Agriculture, have come together to show you. Those three agencies have launched an initiative called “What Does Your Texas Drought Look Like?“, which encourages Texans to upload their drought-related photos to a public flickr page.
StateImpact Texas has collected ten pictures from the page in the slideshow below. You can see the rest of the photos (or upload your own) here.
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- With feed prices at a premium, livestock like this longhorn have gone hungry during the drought.
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- The Colorado River trickles through Colorado Bend State Park.
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- Dead gar and other fish lie in a dried-out wetland in Brazoria County.
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- A mussel shell lies next to some rusted metal where Lake Wichita used to be.
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- Water usually flows out of these pipes in Brazoria County.
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- Water levels have reached historic lows at Lake Amistad.
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- Parched, cracked, soil is a common sight around Texas.
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- Infrastructure lays unused in the Olmito resaca near Brownsville.
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- O.C. Fisher Reservoir, near San Angelo, is completely dry.
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- A boat ramp sits in a dry Lake Colorado City State Park.
According to Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, “What Does Your Texas Drought Look Like?” is designed to show Texans the realities of the drought, as well as the importance of water conservation.
“We want all Texans to know that by focusing on voluntary water conservation, by thoughtful planning, we can survive. Pictures tell a powerful story, so we’re inviting Texans from all across the state to share what the Texas drought looks like to you,” he told KUT recently.
The Flickr page will remain up until September. And users can track new photographs with the twitter hashtag #txdrought.
