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 the Ogallala Aquifer Dwindles, West Texas Farmers Face a Future Without Irrigated Crops ... “With irrigation, this is such a good place to farm,” he said.

Wallace County — The Ogallala Aquifer has a visibility problem. It’s easy to see when drought, farm irrigation and city taps drain the great reservoirs of the Southwest. Bathtub rings paint ...

Wallace County, Kansas. The Ogallala Aquifer has a visibility problem. It’s easy to see when drought, farm irrigation and city taps drain the great reservoirs of the Southwest.

The Ogallala Aquifer has been in decline since the mid-20th Century. After World War II, a boom in groundwater irrigation transformed arid western Kansas into an agricultural powerhouse.

Texas property owners can use nearly as much water under their land as they want. That’s unlikely to change even as the state approaches a crisis.

The Ogallala Aquifer has many users including farmers for irrigation and municipalities for drinking water. However, its supply of water is being depleted faster than it is being replenished.

All told, the Ogallala supports an agriculture industry worth $35 billion. Because of limited precipitation, the Ogallala as it has been managed is essentially a finite resource, a bank account slowly ...

Irrigation brought fat harvests to the plains. But the water is disappearing. Industrial agriculture on the Great Plains began in the 1950s when mechanized pumps and sprinkler irrigation systems ...

This irrigation well on Faurot’s farm in Scott County, Kansas, goes down to 180 feet, tapping into the Ogallala Aquifer at around 139 feet. By Nick Rex Centerpiece ...

The Ogallala Aquifer has been in decline since the mid-20th Century. After World War II, a boom in groundwater irrigation transformed arid western Kansas into an agricultural powerhouse.