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The rate of decline appears to be greater than for the past few years. This can partly <br />be explained by the extremely dry summer of 1988 and the dry winter of 1988/89. A further <br />explanation may be due to the high crop prices which resulted from the Mid -West drought <br />of 1987 and 1988 which encourage farmers to maximize yields of crops. While the declines <br />are greater than those experienced in the wet years of the mid 1980's, they are consistent <br />with the overall trend established prior to that time. <br />One area in which more work is needed is that of correlating water level changes with <br />the changes in irrigation practice which has occurred because of the recent Federal crop <br />reduction programs. Preliminary evidence indicated that these programs can have a <br />marked influence on local water levels. This office will be working to obtain more detailed <br />data on this subject for inclusion in next years reports. <br />