Gail Davis col for 10-12

The Ruhenstroth Water Planning Steering Committee recently elected officers. They are Jim Liles, chairman; Rick Oliver, vice chairman and Stephanie Hicks, secretary. Since they collect no money or have any budget, they do not need a treasurer. Out of the original 20 people who volunteered to be on the committee last December, less than half are regular participants in the meeting process. There will always be scheduling conflicts but now that the meetings will be held at a regularly scheduled time and day, more people will be able to attend.

Thank you Jim, Rick and Stephanie as well as the other members of the committee for working so diligently on keeping all of us informed with the changes going on as well as any possible solutions. For minutes to the meetings and other pertinent information, go togeocities.com/ruhenstrothwater.

The committee will be collecting static water level measurements during early November and combining the data collected with information from the U. S. Geological Service's own survey of area wells. The joint database will let them know "just how serious our water level decline is here in Ruhenstroth," explains Rick Oliver.

The Web site water.nv.gov has valuable information about the initial drilling of our individual wells. Unfortunately the original owner may actually be listed as the builder and not the original property owner. If your well was drilled after 1980, chances are pretty good that your information is there. The problems that may be interfering with accessing that information is whether the owner is listed as the builder and if the information was originally entered correctly.

"Why are the logs important? One needs to know the depth of the hole drilled, the casing length schedule, the water bearing elevations and strata aquifer thickness, etc. in case of going dry and attempting to deepen (the well) by re-drilling," Rick clarifies.

You might want to check the site to learn if your information is in there correctly and it will definitely be of help to you if you are facing the possibility of needing to re-drill your well.

Tomorrow from 4-6 p.m., there will be a Red Cross Informational Reception at the satellite office in Incline Village. It is located at 948 Incline Way in the Parasol Building near the Hyatt Hotel. They will be selling first aid and emergency preparedness kits. These are considered "starter kits" because they have all the basic requirements but will need to be personalized with items specific to your own needs. This might include prescription medicines and any other items that you would need in case of emergency. There will be courses for children from pre-kindergarten through early elementary school age. Tommy the Safety Cat will be teaching important fire safety and Scrubby Bear will be teaching health safety, with a focus on proper hand washing techniques to minimize the spread of colds and flu. A shelter trailer will be on hand to show what happens when a shelter is opened. It will be a good way to get some valuable information about emergency preparedness for you and your family.

Have a ramblin' good week!

-- To reach Gail Davis, e-mail RuhenstrothRamblings@yahoo.com or call 265-1947.