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<br />" ..,., 'I" l 9 '.J <br />Ol...~~~..) . <br /> <br />SUMMARY REPORT <br /> <br />WATER TRANSFER ELEMENT <br />OF THE SIX STATE <br />HIGH PLAINS - OGALLALA AQUIFER <br />REGIONAL RESOURCES STUDY <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />THE REGION <br /> <br />The regi on encompassed by the si x-state Hi gh Pl ai ns-Oga11 a1 a Aquifer Regi ona1 <br /> <br />Resources Study com~rises some 180 counties, an area of about 225,000 square <br /> <br />miles, wholly or partly overlying the Ogallala Aquifer which is the principal <br />source of water SUP? ly for i rri ';jat i on and other uses. The Aqu ifer extends <br /> <br />from the High Plains area of West Texas and eastern New Mexico, northward <br /> <br />through the panhandl e area of Okl ahoma, western Kansas and eastern Colorado, <br /> <br />and the central and western parts of Nebraska. <br /> <br />The Regio~ is one of the most heavily irrigated areas in the United States, <br />comprising some 20 percent of the national total. Over 40 percent of the fed <br />beef for American consumers is fattened within the region using the grain grown <br />there. Rapid expansion of irrigation began after World War II and is expected <br /> <br />to expand further in those areas where ground water continues to remain available <br /> <br />within economic pumping limits. In 1981, about 16 million acres were under <br /> <br />irrigation out of a total of 35-40 million potentially irrigable acreS. The High <br /> <br />Plains region is shown in Figure 1. <br /> <br />THE PROBLEM <br /> <br />The Ogallala Aquifer is one of the most. extensivp. and important interstate <br />aquifers in the country. It varies widely in hydrologic and hydraulic character- <br /> <br />istics, in amount of recharge, in lateral extent and depth, and in remaining <br />saturated thickness. Continued economic vitality of this region is now in <br /> <br />1 <br />