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Central Nebraska | Great reading all the comments. I've been very involved in water discussions for over 25 years in Nebraska and currently sit on the Nebraska Natural Resource Commission. I am 2/3 ground water irrigated and 1/3 surface water irrigated in the central Platte Valley.
Couple of points I's like to add.
1. The Ogallala aquifer has a very narrow neck in northern Kansas that effectively splits the aquifer into two parts. The northern portion that sits under Nebraska is indeed a vast reservoir mostly fed by rainfall in the Sandhills of Nebraska.
2. Groundwater moves very slowly laterally. Most areas it only moves 500-1000 feet per year.
3. As a result water issues are very local, that is why Nebraska relies on Natural Resource Districts to regulate ground water. My NRD has a stay on new wells and no new irrigated acres, but no limit on how much water pumped per acre. Our water table is close to surface (10-15') and extra water pumped soon gets back to aquifer. Just wasting money and energy.
4. The Republican River dispute between Nebraska and Kansas has been a mess with only the lawyers getting rich. The latest court case is a good point. It has been ongoing for years and Nebraska will pay a penalty of 5 million to Kansas, which is much less than the $80 M they wanted. I'm sure the lawyer fees will eat up most of the $5 M.
5. Surface irrigation is very different than ground water. The surface irrigators in the Republican rely on runoff to fill their reservoirs. Conservation tillage has killed their source. The surface irrigators in the Platte Valley rely on snowmelt in the Rockies in Wyoming.
6. Nebraska has a goal of maintaining our ground water resource forever, Texas seems to have a goal of mining the water until it's gone. | |
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Ogalla Aquifer in Nebraska
