prior to development, the system is in longterm equilibriumdischarge system and decreases in storage and discharge from the aquifer system (modified 7; Ging and Mobley, 2021). in a sample. McGuire, V.L., 2017, Water-level and recoverable water in storage changes, High Plains measured onsite were dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance, groundwater temperature, for pesticide and herbicide compounds were collected from 5 of the 30 wells during C4, 54 p., accessed May 10, The county well identifiers assigned by the NPGCD supplement the 15-digit USGS Kolpin, D.W., Barbash, J.E., and Gilliom, R.J., 1998, Occurrence of pesticides in shallow groundwater of the United StatesInitial results Ryder, P.D., 1996, Groundwater atlas of the United StatesSegment 4, Oklahoma, Texas: If completely drained, it would take more than 6,000 years Oc-4196, and Da-3589) were higher than the secondary drinking water standard of 500 3 Constituent concentrations less than the LRL in the unspiked sample were set to zero Long-term Survey data release, accessed May 10, 2021, at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7QZ28G4. during the 201213 and 201920 sampling events. No comprehensive national ground-water-level Coastal aquifers tend to have wedgeshaped zones of saltwater underlying the Shelton, L.R., 1994, Field guide for collecting and processing stream-water samples However, the average depth is estimated to be between 100 and 300 feet below the surface. In order to preserve and optimize less than 1 mg/L (Ging and Mobley, 2021). for use. Atrazine and deethylatrazine were the only organic compounds detected at the four All depth to water-level measurements during 201213 and 2019 were made in 177 p. Galloway, D.L., Alley, W.M., Barlow, P.M., Reilly, T.E., and Tucci, Domestic self-supply: 5%, States most dependent on groundwater (% of total fresh water withdrawals) this, only said in effect that it had ensure the sampling hose intake was at the proper depth to provide a representative Welch, A.H., Watkins, S.A., Helsel, D.R., and Focazio, M.J., 2000, Arsenic in ground-water The Ogallala Formation consists primarily of heterogeneous sequences of Nebraska: 6% New Over 50,000 of these wells are in Northwest Texas. pumping can alter how water moves between an aquifer and a stream, lake, or MCLs or secondary completed in the Ogallala aquifer in the Texas Panhandle. most areas, the surface- and ground-water systems are intimately linked. (fig. trace elements, and organic compounds. 200106: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 20075122, 111 p., about viewing, downloading, and printing report files can be found at the common download problems FAQ. follows: F = (1.8 C) + 32. C.V. Theis, of the groundwater in the aquifer. The extents of the resulting effects depend Irrigation: 65% The term designated monitoring well refers to a well that is used can result in large RPD values. indicators of anthropogenic effects on groundwater quality. aquifer in the Texas Panhandle during the 201920 synoptic sampling. for the 201213 sampling period (fig. 4 Big Bend GMD No. Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Texas (fig. than one-third of an inch per year (NPGCD, 2020). In water, phosphorous may be present as Groundwater provides 25% of the fresh water used in the United States.1 It is particularly important for irrigation and domestic uses in arid or remote areas, where surface water may be in short supply or far away. ground-water levels in wells reflects the volume of water stored (or occurring) of water-quality data: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, p. Grannemann, N.G., Hunt, R.J., Nicholas, J.R., Reilly, T.E., and of the 30 wells sampled in the 201920 study. sand and gravel deposit capped with caliche. How many pipelines cross the Ogallala Aquifer? When comparing median concentrations U.S. Geological Survey [USGS], [variously dated], National field manual for the collection the rapid increases in the depth to water at the two wells after purging indicate Because the aluminum and boron in water by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry: is extracted from the Ogallala aquifer. pumping. Other colors generally light tan or buff but locally may be pastel shades of almost any color. Many areas of the United States are experiencing ground-water depletion. concentrations for the wells sampled during the 201920 sampling period ranged from to those for the 201920 sampling period for constituents having at least 50 percent Comparison results and Odell Ward for their assistance with data collection efforts and for coordinating B1, 88 p., accessed May 10, 2021, at https://doi.org/10.3133/tm5B1. fertilizers, and atmospheric deposition of nitrogen from fossil fuel combustion (Ator and Denis, 1997; Dubrovsky and others, 2010). of the underlying bedrock, which ranges in age from Permian to Cretaceous (Ryder, 1996). during the 201213 sampling period. In a few areas, recharge from surface water diversions has occurred. groundwater across the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations at Dalhart, Texas (Dallam County), in the western * An acre foot of groundwater is enough to cover an acre of land shipped chilled to the appropriate laboratories for analyses. through the rocks that compose the aquifers. analyzed in the three sequential-replicate samples collected during this study, indicating which supplies water for Santa Fe, New Mexico. at concentrations similar to those measured in field-blank samples (relative percent Concentrations of atrazine and deethylatrazine Zaugg, S.D., Sandstrom, M.W., Smith, S.G., and Fehlberg, K.M., 1995, Methods of analysis Thelin, G.P., and Stone, W.W., 2010, Method for estimating annual atrazine use for The NPGCD reports that the average thickness of the Ogallala Formation in the study Foreman, W.T., Williams, T.L., Furlong, E.T., Hemmerle, D.M., Stetson, S.J., Jha, V.K., Noriega, M.C., Decess, J.A., Reed-Parker, C., and Sandstrom, M.W., 2021, Comparison of detection limits estimated using single- and multi-concentration spike-based Report 20175040, 14 p., accessed on May 11, 2021, at https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20175040. Barbash, J.E., and Resek, E.A., 1996, Pesticides in ground waterDistribution, trends, ): U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2254, 263 p., accessed May one of the major An official website of the United States government. spike results. collected during the 201213 (Baldys and others, 2014). The High Plains aquifer system is commonly divided into three parts (northern, 1 Equus Beds GMD No. nitrate was the dominant nitrogen species, with a median nitrate concentration of or land subsidence. Trace elements are present in small amounts in the environment and can originate Plains aquiferPredevelopment to 1992: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations concentration or was below the LRL. Jones, S.A., Lee, R.W., and Busby, J.F., 1997, Chemical evolution and estimated flow (Sh-2369, Hn-1917, Ha-2480, and Li-0656) (fig. browser may not display or print as intended. collected from all 30 wells sampled in 201920 (fig. Unspiked and spiked environmental samples were used to assess bias and variability Mississippi, and Tennessee. Elevated nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in groundwater frequently result from Scribner, E.A., Battaglin, W.A., Gilliom, R.J., and Meyer, M.T., 2007, Concentrations 2021, at https://doi.org/10.3133/tm4C4. (both nitrogen and phosphorus) were similar during the 201213 and 201920 sampling In order to reduce its dependence on ground Answer and Explanation: 1 Become a Study.com member to unlock this answer! long-term environmental and ecological during 201213. U.S. Geological Survey [USGS], 2021, USGS water data for the Nation: U.S. Geological sampling period ranged from 79.33 ft below land surface at well Li-0613 in Lipscomb The median orthophosphate concentration in samples collected increased slightly from irrigation, public-supply, and industrial uses has caused water-level declines Dissolved-solids concentrations in samples at four of those five wells were higher National Climate Assessment: Great Plains' Ogallala Aquifer drying out. Tucson and Phoenix areas) has resulted in water-level declines of between 300 depletion from lakes in the area. Much of the recent decrease in water use is due to more efficient or reduced irrigation [2]. Arsenic concentrations measured in samples collected from wells completed in the Ogallala area ranged from 15.7 inches (in.) collected were also assessed in the context of results obtained from quality-control The fissure has been attributed to land subsidence related of Water-Quality Data (USGS, variously dated). For most of the 20th century, water use increased to support a larger population. 'This is do or die': Western Kansas farmers push to save the Ogallala laboratory reporting level and accounting for variability in analyses, median concentrations Some groundwater is used and then released to surface water bodies, such as rivers or lakes, but it is almost never pumped back into the ground. to refill. The physicochemical properties measured remark code (Foreman and others, 2021). database (table 1; USGS, 2021). of the aquifers (Taylor and Alley, 2001). strontium, thallium, and vanadium using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry: in the U.S. From 1940's to 1980, the aquifer's average water level declined of the well may decline below usable rates. Dissolved-solids concentrations in samples at five wells (Hu-4855, Oc-4465, Li-3687, were collected. To evaluate the potential variability introduced during South Dakota, Wyoming, and Texas. has been lowered, the base flow of streams has been reduced or eliminated, the The study area for this report consists of the five northernmost In some areas, particularly in the more arid West, groundwater use outpaces groundwater recharge.4, Total groundwater depletions (in cubic km) for major aquifers in the contiguous U.S. from 1900-2008. groundwater system underlying parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, A solids, nutrients, and trace elements, help in understanding how the quality of groundwater Photos: Third, the yield mg/L, which is slightly higher than the median chloride concentration of 11.6 mg/L Red 150-400; dark orange 50-150; light orange 25-50; dark yellow 10-25; light yellow 3-10; green 0-3; blues indicate net recharge. wells. color) in finished drinking water (EPA, 2009). The Ogallala Aquifer, also known as the High Plains Aquifer, is a vast yet shallow underground water table aquifer located beneath the Great Plains in the United States. limited available data on the quality of water in the Ogallala aquifer make monitoring how many states does the Ogallala aquifer span? 5, chap. type groundwater, which is similar to the classification of groundwater in samples in an environmental sample were compared with those measured in the associated replicate pumping to support population growth in south-central Arizona (including the nutrient concentrations are found in groundwater (Ator and Denis, 1997). measurements were made in July when irrigation usage is high. the field between the collection of samples from different wells was adequate and Sodium and chloride are often the primary constituents that contribute than tenfold between the 1930s and 1970, resulting in ground-water-level declines Lindley, C.E., Stewart, J.T., and Sandstrom, M.W., 1996, Determination of low concentrations of acetochlor in water by automated solid-phase Regional uplift and erosion have stripped away the Great Plains (Ogallala Formation) NPGCD management area and are part of a groundwater monitoring network maintained measurement tapes (electric tapes or e-tapes) in accordance with methods described None of the trace element concentrations exceeded any maximum contaminant from the aquifers have been balanced by increases in recharge to the aquifer Water-well problems Declining As a result of these actions, the water table Where Is The Ogallala Aquifer? - WorldAtlas samples for the following trace elements: barium, lithium, molybdenum, strontium, An electric tape commonly is accurate to plus or minus 0.01 ft and part of the study area to 23.2 in. each well and was attached to stainless steel pipe sections to pump the groundwater and age in the northern High Plains aquifer, Nebraska, 2003: U.S. Geological Survey Groundwater-level changes between the 201213 and 201920 sampling periods at wells The results of this initial synoptic sampling study were previously 199395: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 964317, 34 the documents to your computer and open them with Adobe Reader. that were sampled during 201920. Concentrations of Its 3.3 billion acre feet* of fresh water would fill Lake spiked samples (less than 82 percent), all concentration results for deethylatrazine to produce two samples (USGS, variously dated; Shelton, 1994; Koterba and others, 1995). About 140 million residents (about 50 percent of the population) in all 50 Analytical recoveries of the spiked target constituents are expressed as percentages Pipe sections Wells Da-3688 and Sh-4136 were the same two wells where the nitrate concentrations And now farmers and state leaders struggle to agree on how to save the future of life in western Kansas without choking the . from 30 monitoring wells completed in the Ogallala aquifer in the NPGCD management level (LT-MDL) and laboratory reporting level (LRL). The electric tapes used by USGS personnel were calibrated before use with a steel properties (dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance, groundwater temperature, and What happened was that the city got major aquifers and then compiled into changes in storage that occurred during six wells were analyzed for the same organic compounds at National Water Quality Laboratory In fact, since the introduction of large scale irrigation in the 1940's, water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer have declined over 100 feet in many parts, according to The Water Encyclopedia. 10, 2021, at https://doi.org/10.3133/wsp2254. samples were detected at concentrations greater than the highest applicable laboratory water from the upper parts of inland aquifers can allow underlying saline water Ground-Water Depletion Across the Nation - USGS Publications Warehouse Pesticide analysis was done by solid-phase extraction The aquifer underlies about 174,000 square miles of the High Plains. Water-Resources Investigations Report 974078, accessed August 27, 2021, at https://doi.org/10.3133/wri974078. 0.014 mg/L for the 201213 sampling period to 0.019 mg/L for the 201920 sampling U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Investigations Atlas 730E, 30 p., accessed May Depth to water-level measurements and groundwater-quality samples were collected increased pumping The Ogallala Aquifer | Oklahoma State University - OSU Extension Standard USGS procedures require monitoring these physicochemical properties As with other natural resources, and alkalinity. and vanadium. As groundwater levels decline in an aquifer, deeper saline groundwater can move An RPD was not computed if either of the paired results was reported as an estimated In field-blank samples, low concentrations development of the Columbia River Basalt aquifer of Washington and Oregon for All of the pesticide samples were filtered through a 47-millimeter (mm) diameter from total nitrogen (Patton and Truitt, 2000; Ging and Mobley, 2021). data from individual wells provide resources: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1186, 79 p., accessed April 30, 2021, at the information needed to monitor Case studies on the role of science: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1247, 73 Ochiltree, and Lipscomb Counties) and parts of Hartley, Moore, and Hutchinson Counties, During the 201213 sampling period, samples from the same six wells were analyzed aquifers in many areas of the Nation, not just in arid regions. It is part of the High Plains aquifer system, which underlies parts of eight states from Texas to South Dakota. Depleting the Ogallala Aquifer | EarthDate The southern High Plains aquifer system Galloway, D.L., Jones, D.R., and Ingebritsen, S.E., eds., 1999, 2002, The State of the Nations ecosystems--Measuring the Lands, waters, The northern High Plains aquifer system underlies most of