Earth Protect Blog

By Lucas Bessire

Guest Commentary

It is no secret that the Great Plains is facing a groundwater crisis. This is particularly obvious in eastern Colorado and western Kansas, where much of the Ogallala aquifer is in steep and well-documented decline.

Aquifer depletion is an important part of the story about mega-droughts, climate change and water conflicts in the American West. As the summers get hotter and droughts intensify, farmers and city planners place more demands on Plains groundwater. Most of the Ogallala recharges very slowly or not at all. Once the waters are gone, they will not return.

The stakes could not be higher for rural Plains communities. I grew up in southwest Kansas, and I know many people there would like to save some of this vital resource for future generations. But slowing decline is not so easy. One challenge is how the problem is understood. Too often, farmers and policymakers explain aquifer loss in terms of the economic bottom line. They reduce it to a problem of arithmetic. On closer examination, it turns out that the bottom line is not as straight as it seems.

A surprising number of Plains farmers lose money on irrigated crops. For independent producers, growing irrigated corn on the arid Plains can be like betting against a stacked deck. Given current prices and costs, many scrape by, break-even or lose money to pump irreplaceable groundwater. Often, revenues do not cover the costs of production for farmers. An array of government subsidies or federal crop insurance covers these losses. Bank loans turn them into debts. The debts compel further irrigation. The cycle repeats.

At the same time, much Plains farmland is not owned by independent farmers at all. In eastern Colorado and western Kansas, research shows that a large percentage of irrigated ground is owned by absentee investors, big corporations, shell companies or their tenants. It is a pattern in many parts of rural America. These are not longterm investments. Short-term extraction is the name of that game. When one area dries up, they just move to another.

To make it worse, much of the short-term gains from agribusiness do not stay in Plains communities. Our dwindling aquifer waters are converted to proteins and grains and then exported elsewhere. The real profits are made in distant markets and concentrated at the top of industrial chains far away. Corporate executives make the big money. Rural communities are left with the consequences. Already depleted places are left to pay the ever-growing bill.

So what can we do? Several steps can be taken now to slow aquifer depletion. They range from better policies and sustainable agricultural practices to community organizing and support. All involve greater appreciation of the true value of Plains groundwater – in the past, present and future. For far too long, we have been tricked into undervaluing aquifer water economically, socially and personally. This is what allows big business to steal their profits from generations to come. It never makes sense to destroy an irreplaceable natural resource.

Our High Plains aquifer is precious. It is worth more than any single crop or lifetime of them. The value of groundwater will only grow over time, as we search for ways to inhabit a hotter, drier world. If we start to treat the aquifer with the care it deserves, we may still be able to save some of these ancient waters and share them with future generations. Let’s not wait to value our aquifer until it is gone. Lucas Bessire is an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Oklahoma. He discusses western Kansas aquifer depletion in his new book, “Running Out: In Search of Water on the High Plains,” published by Princeton University Press.