Travis Macha Preserving the Ogallala Aquifer: For Today and
Tomorrow Texas Tech University
Slide 3
Thesis In the past, the Ogallala has been a seemingly infinite
supply of water however, current research has put an end to that as
indicators of declining water levels are prompting a reexamination
of farming conditions as well as a range of irrigation strategies
to meet conservation goals.
Slide 4
Subtopic 1: Water Depletion Take-away: However, depleting at
rates that are still being disputed one thing for certain is water
usage must slow to preserve the life of the aquifer for years to
come. Rate of decline V.L. McGuire, Terrell and Johnson Discussion
on need for change in water usage Terrell and Johnson,
Hornbeck
Slide 5
Subtopic 2: Irrigation Methods Take-away: Modern irrigation
techniques must be adopted as well as development of new ones for
the overall goal of conserving the aquifer. Need for adoption of
modern methods, due to inefficient old technologies Hornbeck,
Keskin, Lamm and Obrian, Call for development of technologies
Little, Lamm and Obrian, Verchick
Slide 6
Subtopic 3: Farming techniques Farming habits are also crucial
to alter if conservation will succeed Reliance on irrigation
Pfeiffer and Lin, Little Using farming techniques to conserve water
Little, Castellazzi
Slide 7
Conclusion Current research indicates regardless of how fast,
the Ogallala is depleting and it is the human responsibility to
preserve it. Not only must water efficient irrigation methods be
used more wide spread but also farming methods must change.
Low-tillage farming and crop rotations are excellent alternatives.
Continued research and adaption to the growing situation must
continue to progress at a rapid pace to give the aquifer the best
chance to be preserved.
Slide 8
Works Cited Castellazi, M.S. A systematic representation of
crop rotations. Agricultural Systems 97. 2008: 26-33 Article. Web.
22 June 2014 Keskin, Pinar and Hornbeck, Richard. The Evolving
Impact of the Ogallala Aquifer: Agricultural Adaptation to
Groundwater and Climate. NBER Working Papers Series 17625. (2011):
1-42 Article. Web. 22 June, 2014 Little, J. 2009. The Ogallala
Aquifer: Saving a Vital U.S. Water Source. Scientific American,
(2009): 1-7 Article. Web. 17 June, 2014 McGuire, V.L., Johnson.
2003, Water in storage and approaches to ground-water management,
High Plains aquifer 1243, (2000): 1-36. US Department of Commerce.
Web. 22 June, 2014 Pfeiffer, Lisa and Lin, Cynthia. Groundwater
pumping and spatial externalities in agriculture. Journal of
Environmental Economics and Management, (2012): 64. 16-30. 22 June,
2014 O'Brien, Daniel and Lamm, Freddie. "Corn Yields and
Profitability for Low-Capacity Irrigation Systems." ASAE, (2000):
1-37 Article. Web. 17 June, 2014 Terrell, Bonnie and Segarra,
Eduardo. Ogallala aquifer depletion: economic impact on the Texas
high plains. Water Policy 4. (2001): 33-46 Article. Web. 18 June,
2014 Verchick, Robert R. M. "Dust Bowl Blues: Saving And Sharing
The Ogallala Aquifer." Journal Of Environmental Law &
Litigation 14.1 (1999): 13-23. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W.
Wilson). Web. 23 June 2014.