Drought conditions are long familiar to the Texas Panhandle and are now becoming well known to other parts of the state. The most recent drought report from the Texas Water Development Board shows that 97 percent of the state is now experiencing some level of drought. But when asked to upload pictures in answer to the question What Does Your Texas Drought Look Like?, Texans are providing more images of languishing boat docks and dried up lake beds than of parched crops and dried-up pastures.
The photo request comes jointly by the Texas Water Development Board along with Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Texas Department of Agriculture and is intended to show Texans the realities of the drought, as well as the importance of water conservation, according to Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples. “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.
All the submitted photos can be seen on Flickr You can also upload your own photos there. The page will remain up until September. New submissions can be tracked in twitter with hashtag #txdrought.
Thanks to StateImpact Texas for their original coverage of this story.