Researchers propose policy solutions to Ogallala Aquifer water crisis

“… the current management strategies of the High Plains Aquifer are unsustainable. For the region to maintain this water source, there has to be a complete paradigm shift.”

Researchers at Michigan State University propose policy solutions to the overdrafting crisis of the Ogallala Aquifer (also known as the High Plains Aquifer), which underlies 170,000 square miles in portions of 8 states.  Among their recommended solutions are:

  • Change federal crop insurance to allow substantial water reductions
  • Adopt wholescale precision agriculture strategies, a technology-based solution that would allow a farmer to  identify which fields or portions of fields need more water and apply it accordingly
  • Select higher density crops, i.e. “more crop per drop of water”

Read the press release from MSU
Read the report