HomeAg NewsKansas Aquifer Drops a Foot

Kansas Aquifer Drops a Foot

Kansans rely on the Ogallala Aquifer in western Kansas for everything from irrigation to drinking water, and it fell more than a foot last year.

The Kansas Geological Survey recently completed its annual campaign to measure the aquifer, which supplies one-third of the state with water. The Ogallala is the largest underground source of fresh water in the nation. The Kansas Reflector reports that aquifer levels in the groundwater management area fell by 1.52 feet between January 2024 and this month, a larger drop than the 1.43-foot decline the year before.

Oklahoma State University reported that approximately 14 percent of the total aquifer consists of irrigated acres capable of producing $7 billion in crop sales. The aquifer also provides one-fourth of the total water supply used for agricultural production across the U.S. Kansas Governor Laura Kelley says if nothing happens, the farming industry and western Kansas will dry up.

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