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Interesting Facts about the
High Plains Aquifer
Aquifers are underground deposits containing permeable
rock or sediments from which water can be pumped in usable quantities. The
term High Plains Aquifer refers to a regional aquifer system that is made
up of numerous hydrologically similar formations. In Kansas, the major
components of the High Plains system are the Ogallala, Equus Beds, and
Great Bend Prairie aquifer areas, plus the alluvial (stream valley)
deposits that overlie and connect with the larger, deeper aquifer
deposits.
Extent of the High Plains aquifer:
-
The High Plains aquifer underlies 174,000 square miles in parts of
eight States (Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South
Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming).
-
The High Plains aquifer underlies roughly 33,500 square miles in
Kansas.
-
If pumped out over the United States, the aquifer would cover all 50
states with one and ½ feet of water.1
-
If completely drained, it would take more than 6,000 years to refill.2
-
The High Plains aquifer is the largest groundwater system in North
America.2
-
Its 3.3 billion acre-feet* of fresh water would fill Lake Huron with
enough water remaining to fill one-fifth of Lake Ontario.1
-
Approximately 20% of irrigated land in the United States is in the
High Plains.4
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The High Plains aquifer is the most intensely pumped aquifer in the
United States, yielding about 30 percent of the nation's groundwater
used for irrigation.
-
Agriculture represents both the dominant land and water use in the
region. Over 90 percent of groundwater withdrawals from the
aquifer--nearly 20 billion gallons per day--are for irrigation.
-
Total public-supply withdrawals of 332
million gallons per day.4
-
The High Plains aquifer is the main source of water in western and
parts of central Kansas. Over 80 percent of the the people living in
the region depend on the aquifer for drinking water.
-
Total amount of water reported used in Kansas in 2000 is 6,373,071
acre-feet*.5
-
Total acres reported irrigated in Kansas in 2000 are 3,207,965 acres.5
* An acre foot of groundwater is enough to
cover an acre of land with one foot of water (~326,000 gallons).
Sources of Information:
1. Lewis, J., 1990. "The Ogallala Aquifer: an underground sea."
EPA Journal 16:42-45, 1990.
2. Zwingle, E., 1993. "Ogallala aquifer: wellspring of the high
plains." National Geographic 184:80-109, 1993.
3. Urban, L.V., 1992. Texas High Plains. In: Groundwater Exploitation in
the High Plains. Kromm, D.E. and White, S.E., eds., University Press of
Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.
4. USGS High Plains Regional Ground-Water Study, verified January 2003
5. State of Kansas Data Access and Support Center, Water Information
Management Access System (WIMAS, 2002)
6. Information compiled and printed by The High Plains Aquifer
Information Network.
For more information about the problems
encountered with water, please go to these pages:
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