Panhandle playa lakes

Playa lakes are used by millions of migrating and breeding waterfowl.

 

 

Almost 20,000 playas dot the High Plains of Texas.
The vast, level High Plains stretch for millions of acres across the Texas Panhandle and neighboring states, reaching almost to the Rocky Mountains. Annual rainfall on the Plains is less than 20 inches, and much of the available surface water occurs in seasonal playa lakes. The playas are ephemeral lakes that form in small depressions. Once filled by spring thunderstorms, the impermeable clay bottoms of the playas hold water for long periods through rainless months.

Playas are valuable water sources for local game species such as pheasant and quail. But the most significant feature of the lakes is their use by millions of ducks, geese, sandhill cranes, and shorebirds for nesting or as stopping places during migration, when tens of thousands of migratory birds may be seen on a single playa.

As one of the few water sources on the High Plains, playas are desirable grazing areas and are used to store tailwater from irrigated croplands for reuse. The lakes could perhaps also be used for recharge of the diminishing Ogallala Aquifer, which is crucial for the regions prosperity. The clay bottoms of the playas allow only limited recharge, and most water collected in the playas evaporates before sinking in. However, engineers are studying harvesting water from the playas for pumping into the Ogallala.

There are approximately 19,000 playas on the Texas plains, but many have been modified by intensive agriculture or drained and converted to feedlots. Playas are vulnerable to contamination from agricultural and oilfield runoff, and very few are explicitly protected for wildlife use. Most playa lakes are surrounded by cropland, and only a few are bordered by tracts of shortgrass prairie, which once sustained the wildlife of the High Plains. Restoration and enhancement of more playas will have many benefits for the region.

Places to see playa lakes:

Protected Playa Lakes in Texas:

  • Playa Lakes Wildlife Management Area (three sites)
    		•

    5 sites
  • Cactus Lake Enhancement Project, Cactus
    		•

    Number of Playa Lakes in Texas:

     

    19,000

    [Home]
    [Introduction: Natural Areas-Natural Assets]
    [How can we protect natural areas?]
    [What places should be conserved?]
    [Longleaf pine forests and savannas]
    [East Texas hardwood forests]
    [East Texas bogs]
    [Tallgrass prairies]
    [Lower Rio Grande Valley brush habitats]
    [Hill Country canyon forests]
    [Hill Country rivers and springs]
    [Llano Uplift granite country]
    [Panhandle playa lakes]
    [West Texas desert springs]
    [Other unique plant habitats]
    [References and Acknowledgements]