The high plains aquifer is one of the largest freshwater aquifers in the world, covering more than 170,000 square miles and extending across parts of eight states from south dakota to the texas panhandle sophocleous, 2010. Waterlevel change in the high plains aquifer, 1980 to 1994. High plains united states simple english wikipedia. Ogallala aquifer kansapedia kansas historical society. Kansas and the other great plains states do not receive enough rainfall annually to refill the aquifer. The largest aquifer in the united states, the ogallala stretches from south dakota southward into texas and underlies much of texas high plains region. They are the western part of the great plains before the region reaches the rocky mountains the high plains are in southeastern wyoming, southwestern south dakota, western nebraska, eastern colorado, western kansas, eastern new mexico, western oklahoma, and south of the texas panhandle. The ogallala aquifer that lies deep beneath the great plains from texas to colorado contains enough water to fill lake erie nine times. The maximum tds value 15,100 mgl is from a well located east of portales, a short distance from the grulla national wildlife refuge. The ogallala aquifer aquifer in this region has a very low recharge rate. Minor aquifer that underlies southern and eastern counties in the hpwd. Saturated thicknesses within the aquifer are as great as 600 ft near the southern border of southwest kansas. The ogallala aquifer hppr high plains public radio. Colorado, kansas, nebraska, new mexico, oklahoma, south dakota, texas and wyoming.
The high plains are located in eastern montana, southeastern wyoming, southwestern south dakota, western nebraska, eastern. But long term unsustainable use of the aquifer is forcing states in the region to face the prospect of a regional economic disaster. The book chronicles the development, management and possible fate of the ogallala, the largest aquifer within the high plains aquifer system. What are the potential solutions for managing this resource. Nearly 30 percent of the ground water used for irrigation in the united states is pumped from the high.
The ogallala aquifer, or high plains aquifer, is a vast yet shallow aquifer located beneath the great plains in the united states. Over 80% of the irrigation water used in texas comes from one aquifer, the ogallala. Waterlevel changes in the high plains aquifer, 1980 to 1994. The aquifer lost enough water over a recent twoyear period to cover the entire state of iowa in a foot of water, according to a new report by the u. The high plains aquifer system consists of tertiary sedimentary rock, dominantly sandstone and gravel figure 45, eroded from the ancient rocky mountains and deposited in the tertiary period from about 31 to 5 million years ago.
The high plains aquifer underlies about 174,000 square miles of the central united states. The southern plains in the 1930s kindle edition by worster, donald. Water is being pumped from the ogallala faster than it can. Since this area is americas socalled bread basket, the agriculture here is vital to the rest of the us overall, i liked this book a lot. As the first groundwater conservation district created in texas, the original boundaries of the high plains water district were delineated in march 1951 by the state board of engineers. The aquifer is replenished primarily by infiltration from precipitation. The high plains aquifer in oklahoma and texas is part of a regional aquifer that extends into parts of colorado, kansas, nebraska, new mexico, south dakota, and wyoming. The ogallala aquifer ohguhlahluh is a shallow water table aquifer surrounded by sand, silt, clay, and gravel located beneath the great plains in the united states. This aquifers thickness averages 95 feet, although it can be over 800 feet thick in some places. The ogallala aquifer lies under 4 states, and in texas, under the panhandle plains. The report presents waterlevel change data in the aquifer for two separate periods.
The former dust bowls lone water source could run dry without a change in agricultural practices. More than 90% of the water pumped from the ogallala irrigates at least one fifth of all u. The high plains aquifer components in kansas are made up of the ogallala, great bend prairie, and equus beds regions as shown on the map below. Only that part of the aquifer in oklahoma and texas is described in this chapter. More than 95 percent of the water withdrawn from the high plains aquifer is used for irrigation. The ogallala1 aquifer also known as the high plains aquifer is now facing declining water levels and deteriorating water quality. The area that overlies the aquifer occupies part of the great plains physiographic province. Aquifers and springs texas aquatic science curriculum. Geohydrology of the high plains aquifer, western kansas. This field trip is tied to a gsa 2016 joint pardee keynote symposium p5 and related topical session on the cenozoic geology of the great plains t201 that integrate new breakthroughs in scientific coring and sedimentary geoscience with the longterm demand for better characterization of the high plains aquifer. At its essence, the book is about the people and the place that rely on the aquifer.
The edwardstrinity high plains aquifer is a minor aquifer that underlies about 9,000 square miles of the ogallala aquifer in western texas and eastern new mexico. The high plains are a subregion of the great plains. Please click on a category below to browse our collection of links kansas. The economic history of the region can best be understood as a series of mining venturesfrom the paleolithic flint mines to mining grass, or overgrazing, to tapping the ogalla aquifer, an underground reservoir that has transformed the high plains into a cattlefeeding and beefpacking nexus whereas once steers were shipped east for.
The high plains aquifer information network was a project of the kgs and kstate to collect information sources on the high plainsogallala aquifer systems. High plains aquifer systemgroundwater availability model gam. They are mostly in the western united states, but also. Freshwater saturated thickness in the aquifer averages 126 feet. The project is not being actively developed at this time. When european spaniards founded santa fe in 1610, and european frenchmen commenced natchitoches 1714 and new orleans 1718 in louisiana, big history on the southern high plains ratcheted into yet another new phase. It also provides irrigation water for the agriculture on which much of texas and nation depend. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. In july 2012, the texas water development board twdb contracted with intera, inc. Formation of the ogallala aquifer before the aquifer formed, the land now known as the great plains looked nothing like it does now. One of the worlds largest aquifers, it lies under about 174,000 mi.
The southern region of the western high plains ecology region contains the geological formation known as llano estacado which can be seen from a short distance or on satellite maps. One of the worlds largest aquifers, it underlies an area of approximately 174,000 sq mi 450,000 km 2 in portions of eight states south dakota, nebraska, wyoming, colorado, kansas, oklahoma, new mexico, and texas. The ogallala aquifer oklahoma state universitystillwater. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search.
Where did the groundwater in the high plains aquifer originate. Ogallala blue is fascinating if you are interested in the state of the ogallala aquifer that provides water to much of the great plains from texas to south dakota. In general, water in the new mexico portion of the high plains aquifer is of high quality, with a median tds of just 436 mgl. The great plains physiographic province is a vast easttilted surface formed by deposition of sediment eroded from the ancestral rocky mountains, beginning about 65 million years ago. Figure 6 is a diagram showing the geologic age and thickness of these geologic units. With an average 15 to 25 inches of rain per year, the high plains region is considered a semiarid climate. The geologic units that make up the high plains aquifer and the underlying bedrock units range in age from permian to quaternary. High plains aquifer waterlevel changes, predevelopment to. Congress and in cooperation with numerous state, local and federal entities, has published reports on waterlevel changes in the high plains aquifer since 1988. Water levels in the high plains aquifer, also known as the ogallala aquifer, fell at a faster rate in recent years as widespread drought increased demand on the underground reservoir. The usda promotes ogallala aquifer conservation with nrcs money for costshare projects, and a significant report published by the national academy of sciences stresses the need to conserve groundwater, and the state of kansas changes waterrights laws to foster a culture of conservation rather than consumption. It falls east of the rocky mountains in the southern part of.
High plains aquifer system groundwater availability model. Recharge to the aquifer is primarily due to downward leakage from the younger ogallala aquifer. High plains aquifer waterlevel changes, predevelopment about 1950 to 2015. The aquifer is important to the kansas high plains since the region receives less rainfall per year than other parts of the state. Waterlevel changes in the high plains aquifer, republican. This aquifer plays an important role in fulfilling the needs of the american people. The recharge occurring into the high plains aquifer was also computed in arcgis by integrating recharge from dugan and zelt 2000 across each state, and the values are shown in fig. The high plains aquifer underlies 174,050 sq mi of eight states colorado, kansas, nebraska, new mexico, oklahoma, south dakota, texas, and wyoming and contains approximately 3. The graingrowing region in the high plains of americaknown as americas breadbasketrelies entirely on the ogallala aquifer. The ogallala aquifer is a shallow table aquifer that sits under eight states ranging from south dakota south to texas and new mexico. The high plains aquifer system emporia state university.
Peak groundwater depletion in the high plains is illustrated in fig. Water and life on the high plains, by william ashworth, is a high plains public radio community read. After several annexations, the hpwd now serves an area of 11,850 square miles or. In the west texas high plains, an area that receives only 18 inches of rainfall annually in an average year, the ogallala is a crucial, but finite resource. Average recharge rates for nebraska and kansas for the aquifer is around 0. Even before the recent drought, it was clear that the areas increasing number of irrigation wells, and a lack of adequate recharge, was bringing high plains agriculture to a crisis point.
It is a major source of irrigation water throughout the region. Peak groundwater depletion in the high plains aquifer. The ogallala formation holds kansas largest source of underground water in the ogallala aquifer. Waterlevel declines began in parts of the high plains aquifer soon after the beginning of substantial. The high plains aquifer, one of the largest freshwater aquifers in the world, is the primary source of potable and irrigation waters in the central great plains and underpins much of the regions economy fig. Geological survey has released a new report detailing changes of groundwater levels in the high plains aquifer.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading dust bowl. As the high plains states reach the verge of a major crisis, the states have. The high plains are a subregion of the great plains mostly in the western united states, but also partly in the midwest states of nebraska, kansas, and south dakota, generally encompassing the western part of the great plains before the region reaches the rocky mountains. The high plains aquifer underlies one of the major agricultural areas in the world in parts of colorado, kansas, nebraska, new mexico, oklahoma, south dakota, texas, and wyoming. The composition of the bedrock units that underlie the high plains aquifer includes siltstone, shale, loosely to moderately cemented clay and silt, chalk, limestone, dolomite. From east to west, the high plains rise in elevation from around 1,800 feet 550 m to over 7,000 feet 2,100 m.
The high plains aquifer, also known as the ogallala aquifer, underlies about 112 million acres, or 175,000 square miles, in parts of eight states, including. As newerupdated data become available, this atlas will be updated. If kansas farmers keep irrigating crops at current levels, an estimated 69 percent of the water in the high plains aquifer will depleted within 50 years, according to a study released monday. High plains aquifer will be 69 percent depleted in 50. After the 1500s, however, radically new possibilities opened up on the southern high plains and elsewhere across the continent. What is the state of groundwater in the high plains aquifer.
There is concern in many states that the aquifer will run out in the near future, destroying thousands of acres of farmland. High plains aquifer groundwater levels continue to. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. The high plains aquifer underlies 174,000 mi 2 in parts of eight statescolorado, kansas, nebraska, new mexico, oklahoma, south dakota, texas, and wyoming the area that overlies the aquifer occupies part of the great plains physiographic province. In this new, enlarged edition, john opie updates his groundbreaking work on the environmental history of the ogallala aquifer and plains farming. Start by marking deep time and the texas high plains. The aquifer provides 30% of irrigation waters for the united states and drinking water for 82% of the population living within the aquifer boundary dennehy, 2000. Kansas high plains aquifer atlas this atlas has been created to serve as the primary gateway to the most recent graphical data available for the high plains aquifer in kansas. The ogallala aquifer is replenished by runoff from rainwater and snowmelt. The southern high plains has an aridsemiarid climate with rainfall amounts less than evaporation and far less than the water requirement of many agricultural cropsthe ogallala. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Its waterproducing units include sandstone of the antlers formation trinity group and limestone of the overlying comanche peak and edwards formations. Between the years of 1950 and 1980, for example, their was a 300% increase in groundwater pumped from the high plains aquifer system high plains, 2000. The ogallala formation is the primary aquifer unit in the system.
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