Time is running out for portions of the Ogallala Aquifer, which lies beneath eight states from South Dakota to Texas, reports NBC affiliate KING 5. The Ogallala makes possible about one-fifth of the country’s output of corn, wheat and cattle. But its levels have been rapidly declining, and with each passing year more wells are going dry.
Some farmers are adapting by switching to different crops. Others are shutting down their drained wells and trying to scratch out a living as dryland farmers, relying only on the rains. These farmers are creating innovative catchment systems to store rainwater.
In parts of western Kansas, the groundwater has already been exhausted. Very little water is left to be extracted for irrigation. Water tables have been falling consistently over the years through both wet and dry periods. In some areas the water table has dropped more than 100 feet during the last two decades.
