By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
VICTORIA — Victoria High School supporters are rallying together to ensure the health of the football field as warmer weather approaches.
Because all outdoor watering is banned in Victoria, the school district cannot water the field so, earlier this month, community members approached the school board with an idea to collect water using rain barrels to help water the grass.
Terry Riedel said a few parents of football players have been placing rain barrels across the community, and they have also placed a storage tank at the football field to store water — hoping to keep the grass alive this summer.
They recently received permission to install three 800-gallon rain barrels at the Coca-Cola plant, and Riedel said there will be five 800-gallon rain barrels and several 250-gallon barrels set up around the community. He added they are just starting, but they hope to add more.
Thursday night, the group installed a 12,000-gallon storage tank at the football field.
“It’s going to take some rain and take some runoff to get some rainwater, but hopefully with a few rains here and there, this summer and some donated water, we will be able to keep this thing (the field) alive this summer,” Riedel said.
He added that the recent .2-inch rain yielded more than 600 gallons of collected water.
Victoria High School Principal and Activities Director Stuart Moeckel said the district has been looking for alternatives, and officials are happy the community has taken action to help during the drought. But he stressed the school has taken a hands-off in the process, noting the district is not “in the business of asking for water.”
“Times are tough for everybody,” Moeckel said. “We have farmers that have to water crops, we have farmers that have to water cattle and we understand that football plays a very small part of that big picture.”
Riedel said the entire region needs to step up conservation efforts.
“it may be in vain,” he said, “(but with some rain) it’s going to surprise people what a little ingenuity and saving can do.”
According Riedel, farmers also have been helping water the Otis-Bison football field.