Some far-sighted farmers are responding to these interlocking challenges. The top of the Ogallala is defined by a thick cap rock of hard limestone or caliche, broadly called "algal limestone". The Ogallala Aquifer is being depleted at a rapid speed. In the 8 states the Ogallala Aquifer is located, efforts are ongoing to encourage water conservation among the region's farmers and ranchers to use less water and improve water quality, while maintaining their farm and range lands in an economically productive manner. [3], These Nebraskan biostratigraphic classifications elevated the Ogallala to group status with three members Kimball (youngest), Ash Hollow, and Valentine (oldest). Starting in the late 19th century, settler-colonists plowed up native grasses that protected the soil. Howling windstorms widely known as "black blizzards" blotted out the sun, blowing away exposed soil and displacing much of the human population. As he makes one last pass with his combine, its wide green header has to skim the ground to reach the rows of short corn plants out the front window. Depleting the Ogallala Aquifer | EarthDate The real question, he said, is what kind of economic future does western Kansas want to sustain? And as the air heats up, it further desiccates the soil. 'Drought is on the verge of becoming the next pandemic' However this isnt just a problem for those that live and work in the effected areas. The Laramide uplift of the Rocky Mountains lasted from about 80 million years ago until about 35 million years ago. Some hydrologists think that took six million years. Every summer the US Central Plains go dry, leading farmers to tap into groundwater to irrigate sorghum, soy, cotton, wheat and corn and maintain large herds of cattle and hogs. Irrigating wheat in western Kansas with mobile drip saves 30-60% compared to conventional sprinkler irrigation. Business. The Ogallala Water CAP team has identified how water managers in this semi-arid production area can benefit from flexible state policies and access to state and federal programs that reward groundwater stewardship, said Kremen. Neither reservoir shown on the map exists; both were part of the aqueduct project. Were still running a farm here. I've got a story coming out later this week . Because of their bluff-forming nature and resemblance to concrete or mortar, these lenses are described as "caprock" or "mortar beds". Improved irrigation technology and increased energy costs have caused the rate of pumping to decline in recent years. It is a major source of irrigation water throughout the region. Schipanskis CSU colleague, Amy Kremen, said the teams work has been critically important to finding ways to address the challenges facing the Ogallala aquifer. We work with many companies to help prevent groundwater contamination and in the event a spill occurs that contaminates groundwater, we are here to help. Texas Tribune Festival Texas farmers are worried one of the state's most precious water resources is running dry. NIFA is committed to addressing agricultural water quality and quantity needs even as it works to improve the nations surface and groundwater resources via climate-smart agriculture, forestry and renewable energy. The Ogallala Aquifer is a shallow table aquifer that sits under eight states ranging from South Dakota south to Texas and New Mexico. Depletion of water levels is only increasing with two percent lost between 2001 and 2009. These conservation efforts are through the Ogallala Aquifer Initiative (OAI), which is also advocating the use of less agricultural chemicals to reduce water pollution, as well as to extend the useful life of the aquifer. Also, over 170,000 wells tap their waters from the Ogallala Aquifer, and 50,000 of those are in Northwest Texas, according to a University of Texas study. Mile after mile of green geometric crop fields spun into the near-desert landscape by wells that tap water hidden beneath the surface and the center pivot irrigation sprayers splayed around them. The water flowing underneath is as good as gold for farmers in the region, serving as a lifeline in years when drought and Texas heat wither crops. The Current State of the Ogallala Aquifer - Talon/LPE The Late, Great Ogallala Aquifer - The Texas Observer The Ogallala-High Plains Aquifer is one of the world's largest groundwater sources, extending from South Dakota down through the Texas Panhandle across portions of eight states. This results in greater awareness of the issue and fosters the adoption of practical, profitable approaches to maintain an economy based on agriculture while extending the aquifers life.. The Ogallala Aquifer, if it was stretched over the United States would cover the entire country in 1.5 feet of water, including Alaska and Hawaii. Crop water needs and local weather are monitored remotely to avoid wasting irrigation water. But the locally driven approach of the LEMA may help ease those fears. Biologist Jude Smith looks over a nearly dry spring fed by the Ogallala Aquifer at the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge in May 2021. As more wells were drilled and center-pivot irrigation was introduced in the 1940s and 1950s, green circles of lush vegetation replaced prairie land on the High Plains. High Plains Public Radio | But, he said, the golden kernels filling his grain tank prove that farming with less irrigation can work in western Kansas, even in a historically dry season. The key to this LEMA program is putting water conservation decisions in the hands of a local board, rather than the state. The Ogallala Aquifer (oh-guh-LAH-lah) is a shallow water table aquifer surrounded by sand, silt, clay, and gravel located beneath the Great Plains in the United States. Across the four counties, the amount of water pumped up is nearly 10 times the amount that seeps back underground from rain and snow. In a few places, its been completely drained. However, drought conditions throughout the High Plains has increased pressure on the Aquifer to sustain current crop levels. By 1980, the Aquifer fed about 20 percent of the irrigated land in the U.S. The pattern of erosion of material from the northeast into the midcontinent was largely reversed from the previous drainage patterns of the Cretaceous and earlier periods so that material eroded from the Rocky Mountains was carriedeastward on to expansive, geologically weathered plains. But farmers are pulling water out of the Ogallala faster than rain and snow can recharge it. [1] In Nebraska and South Dakota it is also classified as the Ogallala Group. Because of the declining aquifer levels, the mindset in the plains has become more focused on conservation. 2022 Bureau of Economic Geology, Discover the natural wonders of Earth on over 400 radio stations worldwide, Saving a Vital U.S. Water Source | Scientific American, What Happens When the Water's Gone? Windmills could only pump so much water, which constrained the amount of land farmers could put into production. This article was originally published by The Conversation. That initial LEMA was deemed so successful that a similar plan to cover parts of 10 northwest Kansas counties went into effect five years ago although that expansion faced a lawsuit from dozens of irrigators who said it infringed on their water rights and was recently renewed for another five years. But the current drought plaguing the region is unusually strong and persistent, driving farmers to rely more on the aquifer and sharpening the debate over its future. EarthDate is a production of the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin. Like the remainder of High Plains states, Kansas considers the Ogallala to be a formation. The rain can be like a silver bullet for our problems as farmers if were ready for it, Simpson said. At Talon/LPE, we believe in being good stewards of the land and that includes protecting our groundwater. Vast areas of cultivated land saw very little rain. It irrigates portions of eight states, from Wyoming, South Dakota and Nebraska in the north to Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas in the south. The Hidden Underground Lake in the Center of the U.S - Newsweek Until the 1850s, when they began to use windmills to pump up groundwater from the aquifer. Colorado; Kansas; Nebraska; New Mexico; Oklahoma; Texas; South Dakota; Wyoming An official website of the United States government. It provided 30 percent of the irrigation ground water used in the U.S. The .gov means its official. Texas aquifer is running dry, jeopardizing agriculture industry | The If youre building a new shop for your business or whatever it is, youre going to rely on groundwater. These innovations, along with ongoing experiments to determine the most profitable kind of crops to grow and animals to raise, profoundly altered global food systems and the lives and livelihoods of Plains farmers. Theres one source that provides almost a third of the water for all US agriculture. The Ogallala Formation is a Miocene to early Pliocene geologic formation in the central High Plains of the western United States and the location of the Ogallala Aquifer. Plummeting water levels. This is a huge and significant step, Durham said, toward changing what this part of western Kansas could look like in 50 years.. Thats the one thing that really controls whether you can economically survive out here., ALSO READ: Rural Texas landowners who lost water access due to San Antonio pipeline could soon get relief. The northern High Plains aquifer underlies parts of . The aquifer extends, roughly, from Midland, Texas, through the Texas Panhandle and all the way to South Dakota. Since then, the water table has dropped 100200 ft in some areas making it clear that the aquifer is being depleted, especially where it is thinner in the South. By 1870, steel fan blades replaced wood for more efficient irrigation water withdrawal. National Climate Assessment: Great Plains' Ogallala Aquifer drying out. In a way, its coming full circle. Multistate Project Focused on Protecting One of Nation's Largest [2] Notably, it records the North American Land Mammal Ages (NALMAs) Hemphillian, Clarendonian, and Barstovian. With dry western weather shifting eastward, more of the state will likely face a future with worse droughts and less precipitation a process called aridification. Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Nebraska, "A Review of the Stratigraphy of the Ogallala Formation and Revision of Neogene ("Tertiary") Nomenclature in Kansas", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ogallala_Formation&oldid=1153494445. The soil uncovered by cultivation became dry and friable. These include the two primary groundwater systems in the western United States: California's Central Valley aquifer and the Ogallala Aquifer, which underlies America's heartlands from South . Farmers are depleting the Ogallala Aquifer because the government pays These worrisome prospects form the dramatic backdrop to "Ogallala: Water for a Dry Land," now out in its third edition. March 19, 2021 The Ogallala Aquifer's future requires not just adapting to declining water levels, but the involvement of a wide range of participants comfortable with innovation who will help manage the situation and drive future changes. The lowest, oldest deposits filled in the shallow valleys of the weathered rocks that were exposed at that time,[7] which ranged in age from Cretaceous in Nebraska and Kansas to Permian in Texas. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 34, pp. Various ash falls were locally deposited, supplying silica for the formation of agate and chert in the upper portion and opal in the lowest portion. And the district recently began sending its irrigators detailed reports about their water use and comparing it to their neighbors in an attempt to get farmers to change their mindsets. They planted sorghum-sudangrass, a substitute that looks like corn but doesnt need as much water and can survive the drought. Geologist FN Darton of the US Geological Survey located the first outlines of the aquifer near Ogallala, Nebraska. That bucolic vision took decades to realize. Roughly 30 percent of all groundwater used for irrigation in the U.S is drawn from the Ogallala Aquifer, according to the US Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service. His discovery nourished the ambitions of farmers and irrigation promoters. Its become a huge part of their business, so they notice when theres a change, like stunted corn that cant fill the maze. Any change is hard, Durham said, and discussions about using less water in a place with so little precipitation are bound to be prickly. Converting western Kansas to dryland farming may be sustainable, he said, but it would mean a smaller economy with fewer jobs and fewer people in a region where most counties already struggle with population decline. If completely drained, the Ogallala Aquifer would take 6,000 years to be refilled. Ogallala Aquifer | Texas Water Development Board In a wood-paneled room at the Scott County fairgrounds, dozens of farmers gather for the first public hearing to discuss this latest effort in west-central Kansas. 'This is do or die': Western Kansas farmers push to save the Ogallala These states are Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. Fortunately, farmers in the four counties dont have to look far to find examples of how these irrigation limits work in the real world. The Ogallala Aquifer, also known as the High Plains Aquifer, supports not only wheat, cows, corn and cotton, but it also brings water to residential and industrial sectors throughout the area. Its water supports $35 billion in crop production each year. The Halladay wood bladed wind pump was first introduced in 1854 to produce water for High Plains irrigation. This extensive and resistant material established the broad flat expanses of the High Plains. Were having to overwater it, and the Ogallala is depleting to such an extent that the quality is becoming poor and making the soil more unhealthy. Thats where Brian Bauck sat in a combine harvesting his last cornfield of the year. Situated under the Great Plains of North America, the water from the Ogallala Aquifer was first extracted for use [] Fly over these dry plains and you wont see many rushing rivers or glimmering lakes. The region was hit with rainfall for weeks, particularly in the Panhandle, where the national weather service reported 10 to 20 inches of rain, which has caused flooding. Those who have been pumping the most would need to cut irrigation by up to 25%. Over $20 billion in crops rely on the aquifer. Can a Supplement Really Help You Control Those Pesky Eye Floaters? Texas farmers are worried one of the state's most precious water The long-term goal of the Ogallala Water Coordinated Agriculture Project focused on ways to optimize the use of groundwater to support food production and rural communities. In Brief If spread across the U.S. the aquifer would cover all 50 states with 1.5 feet of water If drained, it would take more than 6,000 years to refill naturally More than 90 percent of the. Even as wells run out, pumping the aquifer continues to prop up the regional economy from corn and wheat growers to irrigation equipment dealers to cattle feedlots. The High Plains aquifer is divided into the northern, central, and southern High Plains regions. Tilling has been reduced to help retain existing soil moisture. This is a carousel. These advances turned the Central Plains into the world's breadbasket and meat market, annually generating US$20 billion worth of foodstuffs. The aquifer provides water for about 30 percent of the nations irrigation systems, boosting the farms and ranches that supply a quarter of the nations agricultural production. Additionally, two summits led by the team in 2018 and 2021 forged strong diverse stakeholder networks of individuals and groups working across the region that are learning from each others success in encouraging improved water management. The Ogallala-High Plains Aquifer is one of the world's largest groundwater sources, extending from South Dakota down through the Texas Panhandle across portions of eight states. Faced with particularly rich collections of terrestrial Neogene vertebrate fossils, Nebraska geologists recognized the distinct North American land mammal ages (NALMA) within the Ogallala; Clarendonian, Hemphillian, and Blancan sufficient to attempt definitions of formations on a biostratigraphic basis. Annually, the average precipitation that recharges the aquifer is 21.59 millimeters on average (in terms of how much actually reaches the groundwater to recharge it), according to the US Geological Survey. In the words of Brent Rogers, a director of Kansas Groundwater Management District 4, there are "too many straws in too small of a cup.". Photo by Bill Cotton, Colorado State University. The Ogallala-High Plains Aquifer is one of the world's largest groundwater sources, extending from South Dakota down through the Texas Panhandle across portions of eight states. And right next to where the new limits are proposed, Wichita County started its own LEMA two years ago to cut irrigation by 25%. Farmers Are Depleting the Ogallala Aquifer Because the Government Pays It is also a critical source of drinking water for many communities. The Ogallala Aquifer is buried deep throughout the High Plains. I dont know if theres a good solution for it, but these guys look like theyre at least trying.. A Vanishing Aquifer - National Geographic Planet Earth Geology Aquifers: Underground Stores of Freshwater References By Becky Oskin published 17 October 2018 (Image credit: Environment Canada / USGS) Aquifers are underground layers of rock. Our team made important research discoveries at the individual producer level, regional level and multistate level, she said. Its important that we not forget that what were trying to preserve here is not only the community as a whole, Rude said, but the business strategy, the overall viability of that community..