179 The High Plains Aquifer: Can it be Managed for Today and the Future?

Tuesday, 27 September 2016
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Mile High Ballroom 2A/3A

SENIOR FELLOW, GETCHES-WILKINSON CENTER FOR ENERGY, NATURAL RESOURCES, AND ENVIRONMENT, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO

Paper number: 179-8
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:55 AM – 10:15 AM

Authors

  • Anne J. Castle Presenting Author
    Getches-Wilkinson Center for Energy, Natural Resources, and Environment, Golden, CO

Abstract

Ogallala Management – What Should It Look Like and How Do We Get There?

There are historical reasons and necessities for the current state of management of the Ogallala aquifer, and compelling investments and expectations have been built on its foundation. But this footing will not support the same degree of economic productivity in the areas overlying the aquifer in the future as it has in the past. If sustainability is a goal, changes must be made to better accommodate long-term reliability of both surface and ground water supplies. Because of our history of over-pumping, these changes will also cause a degree of economic disruption.

The legal framework for the existing system of water allocation in some areas overlying the aquifer is founded on two assumptions: (1) The ground water in the Ogallala aquifer is not (legally) connected to the overlying surface water, and (2) There is a fundamental right to fully exhaust the water resource that supersedes the rights of other water users affected today and the rights of users in the future. These assumptions require re-examination in light of the stress on the aquifer and acute depletion in some locations and the desire to maintain agricultural productivity in this area over the long term.

The affected state governments should come together around policies that promote sustainability and avoid the tragedy of the commons, which is what is occurring right now. An interstate compact on ground water, the first ever, should be crafted to retain the value of this unique resource, taking into account the interactions with already existing interstate river compacts and creating an equitable balance between surface and ground water users. This will require the establishment of jointly supported goals, such as transition to a safe yield, a phase-in period to ease economic dislocations, and a position on the inevitable takings claims.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 48, No. 7

doi: 10.1130/abs/2016AM-281989

© Copyright 2016 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.