Groundwater level has dropped feet or more, forcing many farmers to abandon their wells. With a liquid treasure below their feet and a global market eager for their products, farmers here and across the region have made a Faustian bargain—giving up long-term conservation for short-term gain. Like coal or natural gas, groundwater is a valuable resource. The challenge is to stretch the life of the aquifer to benefit future generations of farmers and those who depend on their products.
In Garden City, however, the severity of their circumstances is already forcing farmers to take action. They are grappling with how to maintain successful agricultural operations while relying on less and less water, an issue that water users throughout the region, and the world, must eventually face, Rude says.
Tapping the Aquifer On a hydrographic map, the Ogallala is a Rorschach inkblot that some describe as the shape of a mushroom, others the South American continent.
Millions of years ago, when the southern Rocky Mountains were still spewing lava, rivers and streams cut channels that carried stony pieces of the mountains eastward.
Sediment eventually covered the area and filled in the ancient channels, creating vast plains. The water that permeates the buried gravel is mostly from the vanished rivers.
It has been down there for at least three million years, percolating slowly in a saturated gravel bed that varies from more than 1, feet thick in the North to a few feet in the Southwest. Until recently, most of the region had no permanent settlements. Native American tribes who used the open plains for seasonal hunting retreated to river valleys to pitch their tents. When Spanish conquistador Francisco Vazquez de Coronado came through in looking for the gold cities of Cibola, he marched his iron-clad men to the brink of exhaustion, never knowing that water to quench their near-maddening thirst lay mere yards beneath their boots.
Similarly, cattle drives in the s and s collapsed in a perfect storm of drought, overgrazing and falling meat prices. And early attempts at farming were plagued by soil erosion and cycles of drought that culminated in the s Dust Bowl.
Industrial-scale extraction of the aquifer did not begin until after World War II. Diesel-powered pumps replaced windmills, increasing output from a few gallons a minute to hundreds. Over the next 20 years the High Plains turned from brown to green. The number of irrigation wells in West Texas alone exploded from 1, in to more than 66, in But the miracle of new pumping technology was taking its toll below the prairie.
By water levels had dropped by an average of nearly 10 feet throughout the region. In the central and southern parts of the High Plains some declines exceeded feet. Concerned public officials turned to the U. Geological Survey, which has studied the aquifer since the early s. What they found was alarming: yearly groundwater withdrawals quintupled between and In some places farmers were withdrawing four to six feet a year, while nature was putting back half an inch.
In the overdraft equaled the flow of the Colorado River. Today the Ogallala Aquifer is being depleted at an annual volume equivalent to 18 Colorado Rivers. Although precipitation and river systems are recharging a few parts of the northern aquifer, in most places nature cannot keep up with human demands.
Sustainable Solutions For Funk, the depressing data he took home from that Garden City meeting was transforming. To farm without groundwater, Funk has changed some of his methods. Instead of plowing his fields after harvest, he leaves the stubble in the ground and plants a new crop in the residue. This technique not only reduces soil erosion but also decreases evaporation and catches more blowing snow than bare ground. Participants identified other groups, including absentee landowners and tribal representatives, that should be invited and engaged as a focus area of the conversation at a future summit event.
You must be adaptive, not reactive. Transition takes time. Invite them to join and foster conversations that instill a conservation mindset not just among their peers but with a wide range of stakeholders.
The path forward begins with creating interest and providing education to the next generation of both producers and water conservation leaders. Fostering the transfer of knowledge between generations and developing leadership skills to position youth to step into groundwater district and other community leadership roles will be key.
The program provides an opportunity for youth to gain insight into water law, policy, planning and management, and potential career paths as they interact with representatives from state water agencies, educators, researchers, policymakers and water resource managers.
But education must also take place in the fields. It must provide an organized pathway where producers can find actions and dedicate the time needed to make a difference.
Producer-to-producer learning approaches in partnership with university and industry, such as the Nebraska and Oklahoma Testing Ag Performance Solutions program, have been particularly effective. Brent Auvermann, Ph. Looking ahead, tech development and research must grapple with the human dimension of technology adoption. They need to understand and invest in the technology that will ensure they are putting every drop in the right place. Scientific Investigations Report Geological Survey.
Share facebook twitter envelope print. The Agriculture chapter of NCA4 describes the risks and opportunities for resilience across the Ogallala region: Recent advances in precision irrigation technologies, improved understanding of the impacts of different dryland and irrigation management strategies on crop productivity, and the adoption of weather-based irrigation scheduling tools as well as drought-tolerant crop varieties have increased the ability to cope with projected heat stress and drought conditions under climate change.
References Gowda, P. Main Hero Image. Climate change to increase water stress in many parts of U. Longer dry spells in store for U.
Great Plains. Western drought: It ain't over 'til National Climate Assessment map shows uneven impact of future global warming on U. Drought Monitor.
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