Ogallala Aquifer - Assignment Example

Water level decline in the Ogallala Aquifer in the United s In the United s of America, the major sourceof water for the higher plains from the state of Texas to the Dakotas is the Ogallala Aquifer that covers an extensive area of 10,000 square miles. The Aquifer plays a vital role in irrigation process and in covering the needs of the people in the region where it is located. It is also called as the High Plains Aquifer because it supplies water to the upper plain levels and is used in irrigation and other agricultural purposes.

(Guru, Horne and Kerr Centre 1). The water from the Ogallala is responsible for the irrigation of one fifth of all the croplands in the United States which infers that it adds up to 30% of the water used for the source of groundwater irrigation in America and fueling the crops for their growth. There are many sort of croplands that take a big advantage of the water from the Aquifer which include wheat, corn, cotton and soybean crops. This production of grains and other agricultural products have made it possible for America to emerge as an agricultural state also and fulfill the state needs of grain quantities such as that in Nebraska and Kansas.

(Guru, Horne and Kerr Centre 1). This establishes the importance of the Ogallala Aquifer and the water reserve in the irrigation process and its agricultural value in the state economy. Recently, there has been seen a dramatic decline in the water level of the aquifer and this is causing an alarm, because the domestic needs of the American citizens are met with the water drawn out from the underground aquifers and this includes almost all of the rural and half of the United States population in general.

There is low water conservation and the decline has also added much to the water pollution which includes mixtures of agricultural chemicals with volume of water that leach into the ground and render the water harmful to drink. The pesticides are responsible to adding more into the source of water pollution. (Guru, Horne and Kerr Centre 2). The impact of the water decline in the Aquifer can mean crop damage, water shortage and many other agriculture related problems since, Ogallala is the largest Aquifer in the American state.

Agriculture wise South Dakota and the Texas state side are the most productive agricultural lands that are widely included in the productive agricultural contribution in the world as well (Brambila). The decline in the water level also means that not only the irrigation and agricultural development of the country gets threatened but also the country will see the greatest water-level decline in the past four decades, which means that it will threaten the regional economy of the country as well.

(Brambila). The current state of the Ogallala is because it has been extensively used for agriculture in the past and so a severe water problem can harm the farming techniques, the crops and result in water shortage used for domestic purposes.(Guru, Horne and Kerr Centre 7). In conclusion, the decline of water level in the Ogallala Aquifer which is the main source of agriculture and irrigation in the Texas state side can have drastic impacts not only on the economy but also on the domestic and rural population which is largely dependent on the water from the Aquifer for its daily uses.

With limited water supply, new methods have to be adopted to not only conserve the present aquifer but sustain it in the best possible manner for the future generations to use as well. (Brambila).Works CitedBrambila, Nicole, C. "Ogallala Aquifers Dramatic Drying Sows Deep Concerns For High Plains Agriculture." Cjonline.Com. 12 Aug. 2014.Web. 20 Nov. 2014. Guru, Manjula V, James E Horne, and The Kerr Centre. The Ogallala Aquifer. Poteau, Okla: Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, 2000. Web 20 Nov.2014.