"The Rain We Keep” is a new multi-part series from Panhandle PBS documenting how life in our region will change if we do not alter our unsustainable draining of the Ogallala Aquifer. The series will premiere at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov 7.

The aquifer is our primary source of water on the Texas High Plains, and we’re draining that tank far faster than nature can refill it. By some estimates, our region and others could run out of groundwater by the end of this century.

Texas Panhandle residents need only to look to the South Plains and Eastern New Mexico, on the thinning fringes of the aquifer, to see towns already challenged by declining water supplies.

Some say it’s not about the rain we get, it’s about the rain we keep. Will Masters of Amarillo and a team of volunteers work to build natural dams that will slow, spread and sink water into the earth instead of letting it drain away.

“So, there’s a learned powerlessness,” Masters said. “I think we’ve been taught that there’s nothing we can do about it. And it took a while for me to come to terms with the realization that that’s not true. It’s a myth. It’s a falsehood.”

Chris Grotegut of Dawn, Eric Simpson of Shallowater, and Ricky Lockmiller of Curry County, N.M., have drastically changed how they farm to reduce water use. Agriculture generated about $10 billion for the Texas Panhandle regional economy from 2013-2017. Teams of research scientists here are searching for new ways to conserve water, testing sustainable agriculture practices and developing more drought-resistant crops.

Other scientists, wildlife biologists and nonprofits, backed by millions of dollars in federal funding, are reclaiming local playa lakes not only for the water they recharge to the aquifer, but also for wildlife and a restored ecosystem.

The first two episodes of “The Rain We Keep” will air at 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov 7 on Panhandle PBS, with subsequent episodes airing at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov 14 and Thursday, Nov 21. A related podcast will highlight other local efforts. For more information about “The Rain We Keep,” visit panhandlePBS.org/Rain.