East Cedar Creek issues Stage One drought plan
Monitor Staff Reports
GUN BARREL CITY–East Cedar Creek FWSD has issued Stage 1 of the District’s Conservation / Drought Contingency Plan.
Stage 1 is the volunteer phase of the plan. Customers are requested to restrict outside watering and conserve water where possible.
Water customers with addresses ending in 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 can water on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 6 p.m. until 10 a.m.
Water customers with addresses ending in 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 can water on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursdays from 6 p.m. until 10 a.m. Non-essential water use, such as washing down of driveways, sidewalks and other hard service areas should not be done with district water.
The repair of private water line leaks is essential. The District will provide a notice for leaks to be repaired.
“We ask all our customers to report any water leak or suspicious areas with water saturation so they can be investigated and repaired judiciously,” general manager Bill Goheen said.
Stage 1 of the District’s plan does not affect commercial businesses, but the District does request businesses to conserve water supply where possible.
The local water source, Cedar Creek Lake, is currently 4-feet below normal pool and with evaporation from hot weather and drying winds, the lake will continue to decline. Every gallon of water saved through conservation practices will help reduce the lake’s declining pool.
If current conditions continue, Goheen predicts the lake will drop seven feet below normal pool by October. Currently, it is dropping a quarter-inch a day – mostly from evaporation.
According to Goheen, the different stages in the Drought Contingency Plan is triggered by rising demand against the district’s ability to resupply. Currently, East Cedar Creek is balanced in the demand and supply, thus the call for voluntary reduction in water use, along the proposed guidelines as stated above.
 

Mabank ISD new student sign-up set for Aug. 2-3
All student immunizations set for Aug. 2
Special to The Monitor
MABANK–Mabank ISD will hold an enrollment fair for new students only from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2 and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 3, at the Mabank High School, located at 18786 East U.S. Highway 175 in Mabank.
This district-wide registration is a one stop registration for all of Mabank ISD campuses.
Those registering will receive information on transportation, food service, family access and more.
Health officials will be on-site on Tuesday, Aug. 2 – only – to administer necessary immunizations, which are available to all students new and already enrolled.
To register, each new student should bring a:
• birth certificate
• social security card
• immunization record
• transcript
• copy of parent/guardian driver’s license
• proof of residency, which can be a current water or electric bill or copy of lease/rental agreement.

Diabetes management program set
Special to The Monitor
KAUFMAN–Do you feel like you need to know more about how to take care of your Type 2 Diabetes?
If you were recently diagnosed with or have had diabetes a long time, you can benefit from learning the latest things about taking care of yourself so you can reduce your risks for complications, such as reduced vision or nerve pain.
Do you need diabetes education but find that you cannot afford it?
We know insurance or loss of a job is cutting into budgets, but those living with diabetes need to take care of themselves to avoid complications.
A program called Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes will be offered from 5–9 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday, Aug. 4–16 at Kaufman County Library, located at 3790 Houston Street.
The program is a five-class series that is being taught by a team of volunteers who are local nurses, dietitians and other health professionals to provide participants with the latest information on how to better manage their Type 2 Diabetes.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in 2005, there were more than 8,400 people diagnosed with diabetes (8.4 percent) in Kaufman County.
Katie Phillips, County Extension Agent for Texas AgriLife Extension for Kaufman County offers a Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes education series.
The program has reached more than 100 people with Type 2 Diabetes and their family members.
Throughout the evaluations, class participants indicated that their knowledge of diabetes, symptoms of dangerously low blood glucose levels and confidence in managing Type 2 Diabetes drastically increased.
The potential lifetime healthcare cost savings, resulting from improved management of diabetes by these participants is an estimated $1,136,092.
Self-management of Type 2 Diabetes has changed a lot.
Come and learn how to manage life with diabetes and how to reduce the chances for complications.
To enroll, call the Kaufman County Extension office at (972) 932-9069.