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<br />UJIJ454 <br /> <br />HIGH PLAINS-OGALLALA AQUIFER STUDY <br />REPORT NO. 1 <br /> <br />by <br /> <br />Dayle E. Williamson <br />Council Vice-Chairman <br /> <br />May 15, 1978 <br /> <br />THE AREA <br /> <br />The High Plains encompasses an area of more than 156 thousand square miles <br /> <br />and 200-mile wide corridor extending from southern South Dakota to western Texas <br /> <br />and eastern New Mexico, This area is underlain by the Ogallala groundwater <br /> <br />aquifer, a vast source of water which has been responsible for the relatively <br /> <br />recent development of irrigated agriculture throughout much of the High Plains. <br /> <br />Irrigation has been the prime factor in the growth of the High Plains into one <br /> <br />of the major agricultural and agri-business regions of the nation. (1) <br /> <br />Attachment 1 outlines the g~neralized distribution of the Ogallala formation. <br /> <br />In 1949 it was estimated that about 2.6 million acres were irrigated in the <br /> <br />area overlying the Ogallala formation. Today over 12 million acres are <br /> <br />irrigated, (2) <br /> <br />THE FUTURE CONCERNS <br /> <br />Continued economic vitality of this region is now in question because water <br /> <br />for irrigation and other purposes is being withdrawn from the Ogallala at a <br /> <br />rate far in excess of natural recharge. (3) Experts are in full agreement that <br /> <br />crop production will start falling off and can deline considerably. A <br /> <br />progressive shift back to dry land farming will cause serious economic <br /> <br />consequencies for the region, the states and the nation itself. For example, <br /> <br />25 percent of the current gross product of Kansas City is derived directly <br /> <br />from the agricultural production in the High Plains region. (4) <br />