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<br />
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<br />Ihe donnne of "prior appropriation" long med
<br />for ~urfa(t' watt'r. l'ndrr that doctrine, the llf'!:t
<br />mer (of ....atcr a(qllir~ priority 10 continue Ihat
<br />U;:.('. ....helh(.r or 1101 he o\\ns the land from 11l1rlt'r
<br />whkh {he w;\ler drain.. 10 hi~ wt'lk ""e,..tern
<br />States that wi,h to enact kgl,..lation to comrol
<br />C'wuod-water den-IopnH'nt ha\t' dedared the
<br />~round water to hI" puhlic propntv. The fe.....
<br />Ea.-'tern Stat~ that han- ellartt;>d la\\"- so far ha\'e
<br />tended to depend on the polin' pm\er to regulate
<br />watrr U"t' in the public inten><;t. under the
<br />common law.
<br />The U"l" t>f ~o much h'TOlllld water ha,.. created
<br />m'w \\aler prohlem~. Cmkr natural conditions
<br />Ihe hydrologic cnlt, tend, to bt, in balance. but
<br />man\ 1I~ of the wall'r ufN'ts thi... balam'e. c~
<br />of .....ater without knmdl:"dge of Ihe ('ffr-et... of use
<br />or in dim-card of them might be called exploita-
<br />tion. In contra...t, mana,gcment of water r('-
<br />'ollrres i.. uS(' with knowledg:t;> of the probahle
<br />effects and .....ith plannin,g- to minimize adn':n<e
<br />effecL',
<br />Early' dewlopnlt'nt in the High Plaim of
<br />Tn;a' otTers a cood example of exploitation of
<br />,ground W.:l!t'r. Lar.s:;e1y a." a result ('of ht'a\)
<br />pumpine in tht' High Plains. Texas i"- ...C'Cond
<br />only 10 California in ib u...t' of .ground water: in
<br />T na... it is Iht' solt' source of supply for nearl)' 600
<br />town" and citi.... ill thr- State. and i... the principal
<br />~ourct' mC'd for irri_~ation. In 1960 Texas with-
<br />drew about a fifth of all the l,'Tound \\'atC'r u~ed
<br />in the United Slale.... C""', of ~roulld water i~
<br />hea\.i......' in Ihr southern Hi~h Plain" where it has
<br />bcen ~timlllat('d In ,llon~ droue-hl. In 1958 mort'
<br />than t.OOO \\ell~ \\I"fr added to the ten" of thou-
<br />sand,,- alread)' in exi,tence. and water le\-d.. ha\-e
<br />been dedinin~ for \'t'af". In thi,,- area. the waitT
<br />r~rr\'{' is gradually Ix'ing mint'd.
<br />The principal aquift'r in the <.outhern High
<br />Plains of Texa.., the O~allab Formation. orilri-
<br />nal!\' -torf'd nearl)' 2:)0 million arre.fe('{ of walt'r,
<br />a wry large quamity. l-nfaTtunatt'I)', h('call.<;C
<br />of the <'emiarid climate and Rat ,urface (which
<br />encoura.ge t"\'aJX'ration at thf' ('xp('n'e of nmofT
<br />and \!found-water r('charge). the (att' of replen-
<br />i~hmt'llt of thc '!:found wate( i~ wry low, At the
<br />end of 1961 fl('arly 50 million a(fe-fcet had al-
<br />n'ad\ heen pumped, and the' CUTn'nt ratr of
<br />pumpio~ i!' more Ihan 50 timC'S the c"timaled
<br />rl:"charee ratt'. Aflualh. thr rale of withdrawal
<br />will de("fea...e graduallv a' water lewl, dt'epen.
<br />lkcau"(' of tht, co'l of Iht' pumping lift. a balanct'
<br />
<br />~4
<br />
<br />will be struck long before the aquifer b deplett;>d.
<br />~urplm mrfacC' water to recharge the ~round-
<br />water res('rYoir artificially i" not ayailablt,,,. Arti-
<br />ficial r('char~ throueh \\'('11". ll"ing- raillh'ater thaI
<br />accumulates in dcprc,"""ions is Iwing tned. How-
<br />CWT. thi, can help tht' situation only locally and
<br />\('mporarih'. COIN:"f\'ation nwa"-lITt'S to r('duce
<br />water waste ar(' being u,,-('d on an incnasing
<br />"Cale.
<br />Strict regulation to limit tht' amount of pump.
<br />ing would alle\'i3te lhe situation, of course, but it
<br />would dIe" a cnmplett" change in the economy
<br />of the area, It is true thaI re\,{,f"ion to dry farm-
<br />ing and grazing- would reduce tht;> water demand
<br />dra.stically. COIl\'('rsinn of irricatt'd land tooth~r
<br />u'es. principally housing:. is already marked in a
<br />f('w areas in Arizona and California. but so far
<br />lIot in Texa'. The t'ronomy of the High Plains
<br />art'a i" llrmh hased on ground-watt'r minin~.
<br />Just I('a\'ing the wain ill the aquikr i.. Ie~s ben('-
<br />ficial than mining il. It i.. th(' rale of depletion
<br />which caIN,':S concern,
<br />What will happt'n wlwn irrigation pumping
<br />dt'(ft':l.<.("" \!feath-. ;IS it inevitably will, is nOl cer-
<br />tain. L"nder the la"" of Texa."-. under,ground
<br />wat('( comef\'ation diqricts ha\'t' been formed in
<br />thf' High Plain, and arc promolin,g con"'ef\'ation
<br />me'a"urN; to incrt'a'r rrcharge. take ad\'antage of
<br />,..torm runoff for irrigation and artificial re-
<br />charee. and redll((' waste. ~linimtlm well
<br /><spacin_g i.. requirrd. to sprC'ad the pumping and
<br />reduce Ihe ratr or water-tahle d('c1ine. The
<br />prohlem i"- \'("1") murh on the mind.. of tht' people
<br />of Trxa". and mort': and more thought i~ being
<br />_gl\'f'n to thr fulure' t'(onomic adju"-tments that
<br />will haw' to be made. Thus the term i'xproitation,
<br />a.. it impliN< dewlopmenl without knowledg(" of
<br />the cons('que!lf('S, 00 longer applies. It i_" still
<br />too earh to u...t' Ih(" teml u'atrr managnnn1t,
<br />however,
<br />On th(' Snakl' Ri\Tr Plain in Idaho, mm("thing
<br />opposilc 10 ~ound-water mining- ha_s happt"llC'd.
<br />The Plain i,,- Illldnlain h\ a \'('ry large body of
<br />ground watt'f. It 011'1) i,,- an arca of little pr('cipi-
<br />tatioll. But here rainf.lll and snowmelt in the
<br />mountain.s f(,l"d the riHf!'. and much surface
<br />wate'r i, uscd for irrigation. Exc.....s irrigation
<br />wal("r ha" filtered illlo tht" \!found and join('d the
<br />original ground-watcr lxxI\. in(feasing the rate
<br />of di"-Charg(' of \!found "att'r into the Snake
<br />Ri\'('r h\' nt'ad\" 50 percent. I n this area as a
<br />whole. to datt", water has nO! been mined: it has
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