Ogallala-High Plains Aquifer
Issues:
- Concern over declining groundwater levels and the economic future of the water resource
Goals:
- Conserve and extend the life of the Ogallala-High Plains aquifer through management by aquifer subunits, targeting water conservation activities to high priority subunits, improved characterization of the aquifer, and implementing strategies for improved agricultural practices with limited water resources
Current Activities:
- Assist, if requested, Groundwater Management Districts No. 1, 3 and 4 and Division of Water Resources in delineation and prioritization of aquifer subunits and setting water use goals. Once the priority area is established, management strategies such as incentive based programs, well metering, and compliance monitoring and enforcement techniques may be utilized by the Division of Water Resources and the Groundwater Management Districts.
- Target research efforts that will be useful in the on-going and future management, planning and conservation of the Ogallala-High Plains aquifer such as annual measurement, mapping and report of water table elevations, as well as economic assessments and impacts.
- Implement water conservation through voluntary programs like the Upper Arkansas River Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Water Transition Assistance Program. For more information visit the Voluntary Incentive Programs page.
- Crop Water Management training and various other activities that involve education and public information concerning water use issues and water conservation on the Ogallala-High Plains aquifer.
Groundwater Flow Model:
- Northwest Kansas Model research in northwest Kansas of groundwater and groundwater/surface water interaction.
- Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District No. 3 water modeling. Modflow modeling of Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District No. 3, to explore management options considering water right seniorities and practical saturated thickness of aquifer.
Aquifer Information
The High Plains aquifer underlies about 174,000 square miles of the central United States east of the Rocky Mountains in the southern part of the Great Plains. The aquifer underlies portions of eight states, which are South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas. The High Plains aquifer is the shallowest and most abundant source of water in the region, which leads the economy of the area to depend upon it for irrigated agriculture.
The Ogallala formation is the principal geologic unit in the High Plains aquifer and it accounts for approximately 134,000 square miles of the High Plains aquifer. Estimated recharge rates vary from 0.024 inches per year in part of Texas to 6 inches per year in south-central Kansas.
The Ogallala-High Plains aquifer is the dominant, often sole, source of water in western Kansas. The majority of the aquifer is under the management of Groundwater Management Districts No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4, as shown on the map above. The Basin Management Team addresses the areas outside of these districts, known as fringe areas, and has completed a protocol for the regions. A safe-yield approach to achieve long-term management goals for the fringe area is outlined in the protocol.
The Basin Management Team is currently working on identifying preliminary hydrologic subunits. After identifying hydrologic subunits, they will classify hydrologic subunits as high, medium or low priority and then establish preliminary water management goals for high-priority subunits and receive public feedback through the basin advisory committees. One criterion used to identify priority subunits within the fringe areas of the Ogallala-High Plains was average water use exceeding the estimated recharge or safe yield.