High Plains Aquifer Atlas

High Plains Aquifer Atlas
Name	High Plains Aquifer Atlas
Caption	Map showing extent of the aquifer beneath the Great Plains region
Region	Great Plains
States	South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico
Type	Aquifer atlas
Created	20th century
Language	English

High Plains Aquifer Atlas The High Plains Aquifer Atlas is a comprehensive cartographic and data compilation describing the Ogallala Aquifer system beneath the Great Plains of North America. It synthesizes geological, hydrological, agricultural, and policy information developed by institutions such as the United States Geological Survey, United States Department of Agriculture, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and state geological surveys to inform stakeholders across Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota.

Overview

The atlas consolidates maps, cross sections, and datasets that document aquifer extent, recharge zones, and groundwater flow developed from studies by the United States Geological Survey, Kansas Geological Survey, Nebraska Geological Survey, Texas Water Development Board, New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources and academic partners at University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Kansas State University, Texas A&M University, Colorado State University, and Oklahoma State University. It integrates historical water-level records from the USGS Groundwater Watch program, pumping inventories from the United States Department of Agriculture, and climate data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support planning efforts by agencies such as the Bureau of Reclamation, Environmental Protection Agency, and regional entities like the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1.

Geography and Hydrogeology

The atlas describes the aquifer's spatial distribution across provinces and physiographic units including the Great Plains, High Plains, and the Ogallala Formation. Hydrostratigraphic layers are correlated using borehole logs from state surveys and well records archived by the USGS National Water Information System. The atlas maps aquifer thickness, transmissivity, and storativity derived from pumping tests and geophysical surveys undertaken by researchers at institutions such as Sandia National Laboratories, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and university geoscience departments. It documents connections to surface-water systems including the Arkansas River, Platte River, and the Canadian River, and references regional recharge influenced by climatic patterns tracked by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information and paleoclimate reconstructions used by the American Geophysical Union community.

Water Use and Management

The atlas compiles groundwater extraction data for irrigation, municipal supply, and industrial users, drawing on irrigation statistics from the United States Department of Agriculture and municipal records from cities such as Amarillo, Texas, Lubbock, Texas, Wichita, Kansas, Omaha, Nebraska, and Denver, Colorado. It illustrates the historical expansion of center-pivot irrigation technologies promoted by extension services at Iowa State University, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and Kansas State University, and reflects policy instruments including water-rights frameworks in states like Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, and Colorado. Management responses documented in the atlas include groundwater conservation districts modeled after the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1 and interstate collaborations informed by precedents like the Republic of Texas v. State of Colorado controversies and guidance from the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council.

Environmental and Socioeconomic Impacts

The atlas assesses environmental consequences such as declines in static water levels, land subsidence studies paralleling cases like San Joaquin Valley analyses, and impacts on riparian habitats associated with species listed under the Endangered Species Act and monitored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Socioeconomic analyses reference agricultural commodity trends affecting groundwater demand—drawing connections to markets centered in Chicago Board of Trade, Kansas City Stockyards Historic District, and export patterns through ports like Port of Houston—and rural demographic changes documented by the United States Census Bureau and land-use studies by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. It highlights community responses in counties across Dawes County, Nebraska, Haskell County, Kansas, Lamb County, Texas, and tribal jurisdictions such as the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians.

Monitoring and Research

The atlas presents monitoring networks including USGS observation wells, state cooperative monitoring administered with universities like University of Wyoming, University of New Mexico, and research projects funded by agencies such as the National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Agriculture. It references modeling efforts using tools developed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, normative frameworks from the American Water Resources Association, and numerical models like those implemented in MODFLOW and by research teams at Princeton University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. Ongoing research collaborations include regional syntheses with the Great Plains Regional Water Program and international comparisons to aquifers studied by the International Association of Hydrogeologists.

Conservation and Policy Responses

The atlas informs conservation strategies such as managed aquifer recharge pilots coordinated with the Bureau of Reclamation and best-practice irrigation efficiency programs promoted by the Natural Resources Conservation Service and extension services at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and University of Nebraska Extension. Policy responses include state-level statutes in Kansas and Nebraska, voluntary water market experiments similar to programs in Australia and California, and federal funding mechanisms from the Farm Service Agency and Environmental Protection Agency. It supports stakeholders including water utilities, agricultural producers, conservation districts, and tribal governments in developing adaptive management plans aligned with standards from the American Society of Civil Engineers and international guidance from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Category:Hydrogeology Category:Water resources