Ogallala Aquifer vital to agriculture, development By Janet
Lagler, Natural Resources Conservation Service Currently, the
use of groundwater from the aquifer is unsustainable as
withdrawals exceed the natural recharge of the aquifer.
Intensive agricultural and industrial practices threaten the
quality and quantity of the water source. America’s stewardship
of this natural resource is critical. Stretching from western
Texas to South Dakota, the Ogallala Aquifer supports nearly one-
fifth of the wheat, corn, cotton and cattle produced in the
United States. Underlying approximately 225,000 square miles of
the Great Plains, water from the aquifer is vital to
agricultural, municipal and industrial development, making up 30
percent of all groundwater used for irrigation in America. About
27 percent of the irrigated land in the United States overlies
this aquifer system. The aquifer system provides drinking water
to 82 percent of the people who live within the aquifer
boundary. The Natural Resource Conservation Servi