HISTORY OF “THE PUMP”
In an article dated November 18, 1965, the Kalamazoo Gazette wrote of the Eagle Lake Texas association's efforts to install a pump. It noted the size of Eagle Lake, which reads, "..in its golden days once inducted 200 acres."
The article notes that it will take over a year to see gains. However, after installation, Kalamazoo experienced above-average rainfall, with twelve inches in June and July of 1968 and the same in 1969. Additionally, the blizzard of 1967 buried the area under 30 inches of snow.
The original pump, drilled 194 feet into an aquifer separate from the lake, drew 1.5 million gallons of water per day and was powered by a 40-horsepower motor.
All factors contributed to the recovery of the lakes from the severe drought of 1964/65. By June 30, 1969, the Gazette's headline read, "Eagle Lake Wet Again."
The 1965 pump remained operational with limited maintenance for a long time, with some updates, such as an upgraded pump motor to 60 HP in April 2007, capable of pumping 1,500 gallons per minute, or 500 more gallons per minute than the 1965 pump.
