Part 1: Bringing water to the desert

Last week’s front-page story on the Odessa Town Council meeting included information on a presentation given by Paul Stoker, executive director of the Ground Water Management Area (GWMA). A series of articles on area water issues begins this week..

What is GWMA?

The GWMA is an area of about 8,300 square miles that includes all of Adams, Franklin, Grant and Lincoln Counties. Within this area is an aquifer system that supplies drinking water to 25 towns and cities, as well as irrigation water to farming operations. Since large-scale irrigation began in this area in the 1970s, many existing wells...