Ogallala Aquifer: Sustainability Issues and Challenges

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Ogallala Aquifer Sustainability Issues and
Challenges

• Don Ethridge
• Water Center
• College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural
  Resources
• Texas Tech University
• Presented at
• Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
• Environmental Fair
• Session on Water Policy
• May 1, 2007
• Austin, Texas

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Outline

1. Aquifer characteristics that impact policy
2. Current policies and future water projections
3. Research with policy relevance
4. Appropriate policy goals

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Figure 1. The Ogallala Aquifer
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Ogallala facts

• Underlies 117 million acres of land
• Large alluvial formation sealed at bottom,
  saturated with water
• Texas portion contains about 400 million acre
  feet of water
• 90 of withdrawals for irrigation
• Shifting toward feedlots, dairies, municipal
  use, ethanol
• Recharge rate 1-2 inches/ year

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Sustainability

• With renewable water resources- means
  coordinating long-range water withdrawals with
  recharge
• With non-renewable resources- managed
  depletion.
• Extending useful life
• Using for maximum social benefit
• Both approaches require that good targets be
  defined

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Current Policies

• Groundwater conservation districts have
  regulatory authority.
• Proliferation of districts since SB2
• Approaches taken to date differ, but TWDB
  requiring coordination
• Setting of goals by water planning groups
  underway.

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Current policies (cont.)

• Past pattern - rely on technical efficiency to
  achieve conservation, which has made an impact.
• Will this approach be sufficient for future
  targets?
• Depends on policy goals but
• Additional Efficiency much harder
• Efficiency does not convert directly to
  conservation.

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Source Texas Water Development Board
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Policy Needs

• Define desired future water situation
• Determine policy options for reaching it
• Select options
• TWDB requires regional planning groups to do (1)
  and (3).
• Answer to (1) and (2) should employ most reliable
  scientific and economic analysis that can be
  achieved
• Best answer to (3) requires blending of economic,
  political, legal considerations.

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College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural
Resources Water Center web sitehttp//www.depts.
ttu.edu/casnr/water

• Texas Tech University Water Initiative web site
• http//www.texastech.edu/water