Commissioners will consider a burn ban for Midland County.
Midland county commissioners will discuss and take action on a burn ban at Monday’s meeting of the Commissioners’ Court.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at the county courthouse, 500 N. Loraine St.
A burn ban is on the agenda as conditions are dry enough for a burn ban to be enacted. This past week, the Keetch-Byram Drought Index, which is used to determine forest fire potential, hit 575. As of Saturday, the index showed an average of 576 in Midland County, which was 3 points higher than Monday’s score.
Midland County Fire Marshal Justin Bunch has told the Reporter-Telegram that the county will not “enact a burn ban until our KBI is at or above 575.”
“The drought index is based on a daily water balance, where a drought factor is balanced with precipitation and soil moisture (assumed to have a maximum storage capacity of 8-inches) and is expressed in hundredths of an inch of soil moisture depletion,” according to the Texas Weather Connection website at Texas A&M University.
The max index score inside Midland County was 631. The KBDI measurement guide states a score between 600 and 800 is “often associated with more severe drought with increased wildfire occurrence. Intense, deep-burning fires with extreme intensities can be expected. Live fuels can also be expected to burn actively at these levels.”
The National Weather Service reports that there has been 1.3 inches of rain since August. That includes no rain this month. Should there be 0.00 inches at the end of March, it would mark the second time in Midland history went without at least trace rainfall. The other year was 1946.
The U.S. Drought Monitor shows that conditions in the area that includes Midland-Odessa are the worst on its scale for intensity and impact. The U.S. Monthly Drought Outlook calls for drought conditions to persist. That forecast is consistent with the U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook.
Midland, Ector and Upton counties are completely surrounded by counties with burn bans in place, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service website.
Texas Local Government Code 352.081 gives the county commissioners court the authority to prohibit or restrict outdoor burning in general or outdoor burning.
Determining if a burn ban is needed
Some of the considerations used to determine if a burn ban is needed are drought conditions, as determined by the Texas Forest Service, or the commissioners court makes a finding that circumstances present in all or part of the unincorporated area create a public safety hazard that would be exacerbated by outdoor burning.
Burn ban adoption and exemptions
The burn band order may be adopted for no more than 90 days. There are certain exceptions that may apply. For more detailed information please review Section 352.081 Texas Local Government Code.
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Source: Midland County
