
Loss of America’s Largest Aquifer – the Ogallala (2018) - jelliclesfarm
http://duwaterlawreview.com/crisis-on-the-high-plains-the-loss-of-americas-largest-aquifer-the-ogallala/
======
arminiusreturns
Let me tell you about the oil companies. They say they drill the saltwater
disposal systems to _below the aquifer level_ so they "aren't contaminating
it"... I call bullshit.

I think there is more than just water level depletion at risk. And don't get
me started on T Boone Pickens and the coming water capitalism boom...

~~~
gonesilent
Yup when you drill through them all you end up connecting the aquifers. Yet it
shocks me how all these frackers say it needs more study. US government has
Superfund sites with these problems and it's well researched....

~~~
deogeo
Turn their FUD around on them. If it "needs more study", then ban it
immediately until the risks can be better understood. Anything else would be
irresponsible.

------
gralx
Wikipedia's article "Ogallala Aquifer" says that its volume has reduced 9%
since the 1940s, 3% in the period 2001-2008 alone (32% of 9%). At this rate of
depletion, the aquifer has 240 years left, and once depleted, it would require
6000 years to recharge. Assuming that drawing on the aquifer is feasible only
at a volume much greater than 1% of capacity, its useful life would be
significantly less than 240 years.

~~~
lambdasquirrel
You don't have to "deplete" it like so to cause problems. Some areas that are
higher up will lose access before others. In some places, wells will have to
be drilled deeper, and everywhere, the water table will drop.

You can't get something for nothing.

------
ncmncm
"Success" seems to mean reducing the decline of the water table from 21
inches/year to 17 in isolated places, with the rest still pumping madly away.

If we needed another example of Late-Stage Capitalist Failure, we needn't look
far. Fittingly, conflict between Nebraska and Kansas is over water from the
Republican River basin.

~~~
jessaustin
_conflict_

Nebraska has certain well-understood longstanding obligations with respect to
water flowing into Kansas, but that is a normal thing and there haven't been
arguments about it since 2002. Kansans learned not to initiate shooting wars
with neighboring states back when we burned Lawrence.

Nebraska and Kansas have used different enforcement regimes, but a variety of
regulatory approaches is one of the benefits of the federal system.

It seems unlikely that the aquifer will be restored within the next century,
but slowing the rate of destruction is still desirable. IMHO attempting to do
it all with well pumping enforcement won't work. A better approach would be to
end all government subsidies for USA grain production. Grain farmers would
complain, and some would go out of business, but the result would be less
intensive irrigation.

~~~
jelliclesfarm
What do you think should be done to restore aquifer strength not just in that
region but also every where else..like out west in CA.

~~~
jessaustin
The California situation is different, perhaps more similar to Arizona than to
the Great Plains. IMHO, Arizonans should realize that they have built huge
cities in the desert, and consequently should cease irrigated agriculture
completely. That would allow some dairy to return to the Midwest where it
belongs, but that's a mere aesthetic preference of mine.

My thoughts about California are not quite so drastic because the most
intensively farmed areas did not start out as deserts. Still, ISTM a proper
pricing structure for irrigation water would not result in _almonds_
dominating the southern Central Valley as they do.

~~~
MisterOctober
Arizonan here. I understand the thought behind the above suggestion in re :
cessation of irrigated ag, but the truth is that irrigation has been practiced
here for over a thousand years [the current system is an expansion of / was
built on top of the one created long ago by the indigenous people known today
as Hohokam] and most of that was done in a responsible, sustainable manner.

I certainly agree that a revision of the current practices is indicated. There
is a huge amount of water wasted in AZ on lawns, golf courses, fountains, etc
etc. A revamp of ag practices [maybe including some of the indigenous
strategies e.g., sunken-bed planting] and wise restrictions on frivolous use
would be better than eliminating irrigation; AZ is naturally a high-yield area
due to the abundance of sunlight and relative paucity of pests.

p.s. AZ is home to some of the most water-wise crops in the world such as
tepary beans, and the corn cultivar Chapalote which has its gene center here
is one of the oldest continuously cultivated food cultivars in the world

~~~
jessaustin
Thanks for responding. Progress is being made on lawns, but I don't think
you're going to be able to get rid of the golf courses in the near future.
We're told that Millennials are killing golf so it might happen in another 40
years... I won't miss it. Lawns and golf courses aren't the only reasons that
cities need water.

As I hinted with the dairy comment, alfalfa is a more problematic crop for
Arizona than tepary beans and Chapalote.

~~~
jelliclesfarm
This is true re alfalfa being a thirsty crop and is mostly exported. Demand
from China has multiplied multiple times over. [1]

Interestingly the reason China needs alfalfa exports is because their aquifers
can’t support the demand for forage for their dairy industry. It’s relatively
new with the new middle class needing milk. It’s one billion plus that is
hungry for stufff they never knew they needed before.

Meanwhile dairy in USA is crumbling(not least of the reasons is due to the
subsidies). Dairy farmers in the US make less than what it costs. What a mess!

Meanwhile, Fonterra co-op in NZ started selling milk powder to China and is
losing money. We are looking at a new economic landscape.

I don’t even know what to make of it to predict how it will end up.
Regardless, it will certainly mean more consumption. And more loss of
biosphere and water becoming a more precious commodity than even black gold of
the 20th century. Interesting times indeed..

[1][https://www.farmprogress.com/forage/exports-may-
drive-2018-w...](https://www.farmprogress.com/forage/exports-may-
drive-2018-western-alfalfa-market)

