Water Center
Date of this Version
2024
Citation
United States Geological Survey,Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5143
Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program doi: 10.3133/sir20235143Abstract
The High Plains aquifer underlies 111.8 million acres (about 175,000 square miles) in parts of eight States: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. Water-level declines began in parts of the High Plains aquifer soon after the beginning of substantial groundwater irrigation (about 1950). This report presents water-level changes and change in recoverable water in storage in the High Plains aquifer from predevelopment (about 1950) to 2019 and from 2017 to 2019.
Water-level changes from predevelopment to 2019, by well, ranged from a rise of 86 feet to a decline of 265 feet; the range for 99 percent of the wells was from a rise of 42 feet to a decline of 203 feet. Water-level changes from 2017 to 2019, by well, ranged from a rise of 34 feet to a decline of 27 feet; the range for 99 percent of the wells was from a rise of 11 feet to a decline of 11 feet. The area-weighted, average water-level changes in the aquifer were an overall decline of 16.5 feet from predevelopment to 2019 and a rise of 0.1 foot from 2017 to 2019. Recoverable water in storage in the aquifer in 2019 was about 2.91 billion acre-feet, which was a decline of about 286.4 million acre-feet since predevelopment and a rise of 1.6 million acre-feet from 2017 to 2019.
Comments
United States government work