What is the problem with the Ogallala Aquifer?

The Problem with the Ogallala Aquifer Farming accounts for 94% of the groundwater use. In fact, since the introduction of large scale irrigation in the 1940’s, water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer have declined over 100 feet in many parts, according to The Water Encyclopedia.

Where is the largest aquifer in the US?

Ogallala Aquifer
The Ogallala Aquifer is the largest aquifer in the United States. It is part of the High Plains aquifer system, which underlies parts of eight states from Texas to South Dakota.

Are there fish in the Ogallala Aquifer?

An analysis of federal data found the Ogallala aquifer shrank twice as fast over the past six years compared with the previous 60, The Denver Post reports. The drawdown has become so severe that streams are drying at a rate of 6 miles per year and some highly resilient fish are disappearing.

How do you protect the Ogallala Aquifer?

Using less water can help save the Ogallala Aquifer. At the current rate of use, part of the Ogallala could be exhausted within this century and may take 6,000 years to restore. It is important to develop agricultural innovations to area farmers sustain agricultural production in that region.

How far underground is the Ogallala Aquifer?

Its deepest part is 1200 ft. (300 m) and is generally greater in the Northern Plains. 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.

What is Ogallala famous for?

In the mid-1870s, Ogallala became an important center of the cattle industry. Cowboys drove their herds here, either to load them onto Union Pacific trains headed east or to rest before continuing on to the west. It was a rare oasis on a long, lonely, rough trail, and the cowboys were known to let loose in a big way.

How much longer will the Ogallala Aquifer last?

The Ogallala Aquifer, which has been sustaining the Great Plains’ agriculture since the end of the Dust Bowl, has run out of half its resources already. When it runs out, it will take 6,000 years for it to be replenished.

Do aquifers have life?

Although organisms that live only in subterranean aquifers make up a relatively small fraction of the total number of freshwater species, they are an important component of biodiversity.

How old is the water in the Ogallala Aquifer?

The principal sediments and rocks of the aquifer range in age from 33 million years old to sediments being deposited today, but the majority is less than 12 million years old. Much of the aquifer is composed of the Ogallala Group or Formation.