09/07/2008

Associated Press

Jackson County officials say more rural land owners could be without water this summer as area wells dry up.

They say there is concern that water is being taken out faster than it is being replenished in some parts of the valley, that wells are having to go deeper to it water and that some well water has high arsenic levels.

County Commissioner C. W. Smith said people won't build on rural property without water.

"The geology in this region is convoluted," said Travis Kelly, the southwest regional state well inspector. "It's not quite clear what is happening." He said there are a lot of reasons why a well could go dry that don't necessarily mean the groundwater has been depleted.

He said some areas in the region have a history of water shortages.