The North Plains subdivision, centred on Amarillo, depends on grain farming, ranching, oil, and small industries.
The North Plains district first imposed pumping limits in 2005 and tightened them in 2009.
Some North Plains farmers have been adopting the practices shown by the demonstration, according to Mr. Walthour.
Farmers' motivation for saving water stems from the North Plains district's regulations on pumping from the Ogallala.
North Plains has imposed strict limits on the amount of water that farmers can pump from wells on their own land, something more Texas groundwater districts are doing.
Another challenge, North Plains officials say, is that high crop prices have prompted farmers to plant additional fields, so water use across the district has increased.
North Plains officials "just were a little further ahead of the curve," said David Brauer, who manages the Ogallala Aquifer program for a United States Department of Agriculture research laboratory in the Panhandle town of Bushland.
Annually, the North Plains district measures more than 400 monitor wells, which were expected to show an average decline of about 3.5 feet most recently, said Dale Hallmark, a district hydrologist.
The school district covers Hillsboro, Scholls, Reedville, North Plains, West Union, and other surrounding communities.
The Weser and Elbe rise in the Central German Uplands, crossing the North German Plain to enter the North Sea.
