Ogallala World's Largest Aquifer Underneath Central US Starts to Dry Up, Farmers Worry

The largest aquifer in the world, the Ogallala, which lies beneath Central America, has begun to dry up, which is causing farmers to worry.

Ogallala Aquifer Dries of Drought

The Great Plains are supported by a vast, undiscovered subsurface lake that supplies millions of people with drinking water and supports farming, but the recent drought threatens to dry it up.

Underneath the US states of Colorado, South Dakota, New Mexico, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Kansas, and Texas is the Ogallala Aquifer, one of the largest in the world.

The aquifer, which accounts for roughly 30% of the groundwater utilized for irrigation in the US and provides drinking water to over 80% of those residing across the Great Plains, was first used for agricultural purposes shortly after World War II.

However, the essential water supply is running out. Similar to Lake Mead and Lake Powell, which are reservoirs on the Colorado River in the West that are in grave danger of emptying up as a result of the drought that has engulfed the area due to climate change.

Possible Over-Extraction and Lower Water Levels

In the case of the aquifers, it takes time for them to deteriorate, and only over-extraction puts them in danger. However, it would require more than 6,000 years for rainwater to naturally restore it after it is gone.

Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska are all experiencing catastrophic drought as of June, which is making the issue worse.

Texas farmers, who own the most farmland in the US, are likewise worried. Crops are in danger as the state continues to experience drought and the aquifer continues to deteriorate.

According to 1,338 monitoring wells that tap into the groundwater, the Ogallala Aquifer's levels have decreased over the past five years, according to a High Plains Underground Water Conservation District 2023 study.

Worried Farmers and Persisting Drought

The Ogallala is supporting all the farmers, according to Eric Simpson, a farm manager in Lubbock, northwest of Texas.

Simpson claims that regardless of what, he will likely still need to draw water from it during the summer because, without the aquifer's supply, only cacti or mesquite trees would thrive in West Texas.

Groundwater levels in west and south-central Kansas fell by two feet last year, according to data gathered from the Kansas Geological Survey in March of this year, alarming farmers in the state. They measured 1,400 Ogallala wells and discovered that there had been a 1.89-foot overall reduction in 2022.

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Kansas saw one of its driest years ever last year and because of the lack of rain, this increased the use of groundwater. Scientists worry that this may be a trend as the drought persists and climate change gets worse.

Last summer in Nebraska was also exceptionally dry, which increased the amount of water being pumped from the aquifer. According to reports, since the 1950s, the water levels in Chase County have decreased by 100 feet, Newsweek reports.

Within the next century, according to the US Department of Agriculture, the Ogallala could largely dry out. Naturally, the Ogallala Aquifer fills incredibly slowly, so this implies that continual conservation efforts are being made to better safeguard the essential water source.

Restricting water consumption is the major strategy for preserving the submerged lake. Farmers could water their crops with about half the typical quantity of water, according to the USDA. However, this may be simpler said than done as the drought gets worse.