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The Ogallala Aquifer is buried deep throughout the High Plains. The water flowing underneath is as good as gold for farmers in the region, serving as a lifeline in years when the drought and Texas ...Sampling wells associated with a single aquifer are screened exclusively in that aquifer. Wells designated as "mixed" are screened in two or more aquifers. Data Source: USGS Water Data for the Nation. Click points on the map to view water quality sample results. Recent groundwater levels (2005-15), Ogallala aquifer. The depth of the water below the surface of the land ranges from almost 400 feet (120 m) in parts of the north to between 100 and 200 feet (30 and 61 m) throughout much of the south. Apr 4, 2023 · Water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer continue to plummet as farm irrigation swallows an average of more than 2 billion gallons of groundwater per day statewide. But after decades of mostly ... As Ogallala Aquifer Declines in the Great Plains, States Weigh Metering Irrigation Wells About a quarter of the United States's irrigated cropland sits on top of the Ogallala Aquifer in the Great Plains. But water levels are dropping, and states are taking different approaches to monitoring how much groundwater irrigators are pumping out.18 Kas 2019 ... Between 2014 to 2019, the water levels in the northwest portion of his property went up by 2.22 feet. It saw the smallest increase out of all ...By Richard Banks. First, to recharge an aquifer, one needs surplus water. Western Kansas, which was once considered part of the “Great American Desert” and where, accordingly, the aquifer’s decline is most severe, runs dry most years. Yet, studies are underway to help natural forces replenish the Ogallala, itself part of the High Plains ...The Ogallala Aquifer is a massive store of groundwater that quenches the thirst of people, crops and livestock throughout the Great Plains. The aquifer extends, roughly, from Midland, Texas, through the Texas Panhandle and all the way to South Dakota. In fact, it’s the aquifer that makes the current way of life on the Plains possible.Groundwater there is pumped from the Ogallala aquifer and shallow alluvial sources associated with streams. Even the well-known Sheridan 6 Local Enhanced Management Area, the first area of its kind of organized, local groundwater conservation efforts, struggled this year with larger water-level declines.Fourth National Climate Assessment. McGuire, V.L. (2017). Water-level and recoverable water in storage changes, High Plains aquifer, predevelopment to 2015 and 2013–15. Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5040. U.S. Geological Survey. doi:10.3133/sir20175040. We value your feedback Help us improve our content Get new captcha! Related ContentThe Ogallala is an unconfined aquifer, and virtually all recharge comes from rainwater and snowmelt. …. In a few areas, recharge from surface water diversions has occurred. Groundwater does flow through the High Plains Aquifer, but at an average rate of only 300 millimeters (12 inches) per day.The Ogallala Aquifer across the region has dropped about 325 billion gallons every year for at least the past four decades. To put that number into perspective, the roughly 1-foot annual drop in ...Groundwater-level changes between the 2012–13 and 2019–20 sampling periods at wells completed in the Ogallala aquifer in the Texas Panhandle. Unexpected decreases in the depth to water of 16.36 ft and 29.62 ft were measured in wells Li-0582 and Da-3588, respectively ( fig. 2 ; Ging and Mobley, 2021 ), relative to the depth to water measured ...Change in groundwater storage. Ground water levels decline when the rate of extraction by irrigation exceeds the rate of recharge. At places, the water table ...Apr 9, 2023 · In some parts of Wallace County, aquifer levels fell 7 feet in just the past year. That’s 7 feet closer to running dry. Statewide water levels fell by an average of nearly 2 feet this year ...

Water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer continue to plummet as farm irrigation swallows an average of more than 2 billion gallons of groundwater per day statewide. But after decades of mostly inaction from Kansas leaders, the state’s approach to water conservation might finally be starting to shift.Area-weighted state-wide average water level changes in the Ogallala aquifer from predevelopment (1950′s) to 2015 ranged from − 12.5 m (decline) in Texas to + 0.2 m (increase) in South Dakota, with an area-weighted average decline of − 4.8 m across the entire aquifer (McGuire 2017). However, local ...Groundwater-level changes between the 2012–13 and 2019–20 sampling periods at wells completed in the Ogallala aquifer in the Texas Panhandle. Unexpected decreases in the depth to water of 16.36 ft and 29.62 ft were measured in wells Li-0582 and Da-3588, respectively ( fig. 2 ; Ging and Mobley, 2021 ), relative to the depth to water measured ...The population of the High Plains geographic area is sparse, but the combination of level topography, excellent soils, and an abundant supply of ground water for irrigation makes this an important agricultural region. HYDROGEOLOGY. The High Plains aquifer described in this chapter has been called the Ogallala aquifer in many published reports.

In 1984, Congress mandated a water-level monitoring program for the Ogallala Aquifer. In addition, Congress has more recently put in place some effective programs—like the National Resource Conservation Service—which are beginning to address the problem of overpumping and its consequences on aquifer depletion.Figure 6 illustrates some of these time-scale points. Recharge in the Ogallala aquifer of western Kansas, for example, is slight, and it may take many years for precipitation at the earth's surface to reach a deep aquifer. Figure 6--Ground water moves, though slowly. Movement from the surface to a point of discharge may take years, decades, or ...…

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs. recharging techniques and effects, both . Possible cause: 1898 – Ogallala Aquifer named by geologist N.H. Darton after the formation.