Ogallala Aquifer

Sprinklers irrigate a field in Hamilton County, Kansas, where some farmers have petitioned to be removed from a local groundwater management district. State lawmakers are pressuring the district to do more to conserve water in the Ogallala Aquifer.

‘Time for a Reckoning.’ Kansas Farmers Brace for Water Cuts to Save Ogallala Aquifer

After decades of local inaction, Kansas lawmakers are pushing for big changes in irrigation to conserve water and save the Ogallala Aquifer.

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Two hoop barns covered in white tarp are filled with a small amount of round hay bales.

Kansas and Missouri Brace for Another Year of Drought 

Missouri and Kansas remain in drought conditions. Meteorologists and water experts are working to figure out what producers should expect this growing season.  

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Brownie Wilson kneels next to a decommissioned irrigation well outside Moscow, Kansas.

Agriculture Built High Plains Towns. Now, it Might Run Them Dry.

The Ogallala Aquifer, which spans eight states from South Dakota to the Texas Panhandle, is the primary water source for parts of the region. It’s running dry.

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A water tower in Guymon, Oklahoma, which relies on the Ogallala Aquifer for drinking water.

As Ogallala Aquifer Declines in the Great Plains, States Weigh Metering Irrigation Wells

Water levels are dropping in the Ogallala Aquifer, and states in the Great Plains are considering whether to monitor groundwater irrigators are pumping out.

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Brownie Wilson of the Kansas Geological Survey uses a metal measuring tape to determine the depth of the aquifer's water level in western Kansas. Statewide aquifer levels dropped by nearly two feet over the past year — this third-largest decline since the 1990s.

With the Ogallala Aquifer Drying Up, Kansas Ponders Limits to Irrigation

Water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer continue to plummet. But after decades of inaction, Kansas’ approach to water conservation might be shifting.

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