The drought. The dilemma everyone has heard of. The one thing that has impacted quite a few people in the Wichita Falls area, and in the Rider community, has been the drought.
Senior Kelise Cunnignham’s family has been affected by the drought. Her family had to sell half of their cattle, and move cattle to a different area. The lack of water made hay hard to come by, which hay is necessary for feeding.
Her family has
It has also impacted Rider History Teacher John Pearson. Pearson’s yard contains one pecan tree and several bushes that are struggling to live due to water restrictions. On the topic of well water, Pearson believes that it is only a temporary solution for the problem. He also sees that the water purification that the city has adopted creates cleaner water than what we were drinking before.
Senior Breanna Cotner moved from Arkansas, where the area was definitely not in a drought.
“There was water on the ground. There was water in the air. It was so humid all the time,” Cotner said.
After moving to Texas, Cotner’s family bought a home with a pool. With water restrictions in place, Cotner says they have had to pay extreme amounts of money to import water from other towns. Paying this amount has influenced the income that her family is able to take in.
“It’s so strange to come from a place where you can feel the moisture on your skin all the time, to a place where you have to limit the amount of time you spend running the water in your home,” Cotner said.
Although she lived in Texas a few years ago, we were not under the authority of the water restriction.
The drought has changed the lifestyles of Raiders in many different ways. Ranging from having to give up activities to sacrificing time and money,