Although there is no indication that water is ready for the commodities market, it is becoming more valuable than could have been imagined in the 1950s when the Ogalalla Aquifer seemed endless across the South Plains.
Water now is so valuable in Lubbock that conservation has become a kind of community service open to everyone.
Kelly Baker, water planner for the city of Lubbock, considers the general conservation of water to be necessary regardless of the drought situation.