What will happen to the water in the Ogallala Aquifer over the next decade?

Water is necessary for cellular functions. Which stores groundwater? Based on this data, predict what will happen to the water in the Ogallala aquifer over the next decade. The water will continue to decrease.

What is the relationship between the Ogallala Aquifer and agricultural practices the Dust Bowl?

By the 1930s, unsustainable farming practices and recurring drought turned most of the Ogallala Aquifer states into the Dust Bowl. Massive dust storms caused farmers to lose their livelihoods and their homes.

What is impacting the Ogallala Aquifer?

Cropping patterns and hydrological characteristics. Decreasing saturated thickness of the aquifer, increasing irrigation well pumping lifts, and declining gross pumping capacity over the 30-year time horizon illustrate the dynamic nature of the Ogallala aquifer in this region.

Who benefits from the Ogallala Aquifer?

The aquifer provides nearly all of the water for residential, industrial, and agricultural uses in the High Plains region. Irrigated agriculture is particularly straining on the aquifer as the region is responsible for one-fifth of the wheat, corn, cotton, and cattle produced in the United States.

What will it mean for America if the Ogallala Aquifer runs completely dry?

This is the breadbasket of America—the region that supplies at least one fifth of the total annual U.S. agricultural harvest. If the aquifer goes dry, more than $20 billion worth of food and fiber will vanish from the world’s markets.

What happens to the US Midwest when the water’s gone?

The Ogallala aquifer turned the region into America’s breadbasket. The well, wide enough to fall into, taps into the Ogallala aquifer, the immense underground freshwater basin that makes modern life possible in the dry states of Middle America. …

What happens when the Ogallala Aquifer runs out?

In some places, the groundwater is already gone. This is the breadbasket of America—the region that supplies at least one fifth of the total annual U.S. agricultural harvest. If the aquifer goes dry, more than $20 billion worth of food and fiber will vanish from the world’s markets.

How long will the Ogallala Aquifer last?

Once depleted, the aquifer will take over 6,000 years to replenish naturally through rainfall.

Is the Ogallala Aquifer getting smaller?

The U.S. Geological Survey said in a June report that the aquifer lost 10.7 million acre-feet of storage between 2013 and 2015. Water levels in the Ogallala have been dropping for decades as irrigators pump water faster than rainfall can recharge it.

Why is the Ogallala Aquifer being depleted?

Forty years is long enough to learn that the Ogallala Aquifer’s decline is not driven by weather or by individual farmers’ preferences. Depletion is a structural problem embedded in agricultural policies. Groundwater depletion is a policy choice made by federal, state and local officials.

Is Grain Belt Express a public utility?

In 2011, the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) certified Grain Belt Express as a transmission-only public utility. View the 2011 Order. In 2013 it unanimously approved the route and granted Grain Belt Express a permit to construct the approximately 380-mile Kansas portion of the project.

How many miles is the Grain Belt in Kansas?

In 2013 it unanimously approved the route and granted Grain Belt Express a permit to construct the approximately 380-mile Kansas portion of the project. View the 2013 Order. The selected route minimizes the impact of the project on the natural and human environment in Kansas.

How long is the Grain Belt Express route?

The Missouri portion of the Grain Belt Express route is approximately 200 miles across eight counties. The route was selected following an extensive public engagement effort; including nearly 40 meetings with landowners, stakeholders, and public agencies.

What is the Grain Belt Express siting certificate extension?

The Kansas Corporation Commission unanimously approved Grain Belt Express’ Siting Certificate Extension on September 26, 2019. View the 2019 Order. Up to 4,000 MW of energy transmission and associated new generation projects in Kansas, a combined investment of approximately $8 billion