Ogallala Aquifer

The Ogallala Aquifer is a vast groundwater formation beneath parts of eight Great Plains states. It supplies water for drinking and irrigation, especially in a major agricultural region.

Groundwater: Water held beneath Earth’s surface in saturated soil and rock. The aquifer is a regional groundwater system stored in permeable sediments.
Center-pivot irrigation: A method that rotates sprinkler equipment around a central well to irrigate circular fields. Its widespread use makes groundwater irrigation visible across the Ogallala region.
Ogallala Aquifer Initiative: A U.S. Department of Agriculture program supporting conservation and improved water management in the Ogallala region. It funds practices intended to reduce agricultural water use and slow aquifer depletion.
Groundwater sustainability: The long-term management of groundwater withdrawals so supplies and connected systems remain viable. The central challenge is whether pumping can be brought into balance with available recharge.
Aquifer: A permeable geological formation that stores and transmits usable groundwater. The Ogallala is a large, unconfined aquifer rather than a single underground lake.
High Plains (United States): A broad, elevated region of the central United States adjoining the Rocky Mountains. The aquifer underlies much of this agricultural and geographic region.
Water conservation: The planned reduction or more efficient use of water to preserve supplies. Conservation can extend the usable life of groundwater where pumping exceeds recharge.
Groundwater model: A mathematical representation of groundwater flow and storage used to analyze aquifers. Models estimate future water levels under different pumping and recharge assumptions.
Aquifer recharge: The process by which water enters and replenishes an aquifer. Rain and snowmelt replenish the Ogallala slowly and unevenly.
Kansas: A U.S. state in the central Great Plains. Western Kansas depends heavily on Ogallala groundwater for irrigated farming.

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