Texas farmers worry Ogallala Aquifer is running dry. You should too. - San Antonio Express-News
Texas farmers worry Ogallala Aquifer is running dry. You should too.
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Field Technician Supervisor Billy Barron uses an e-line water level meter to check the level of a water well in a pecan orchard in Lubbock County. Barron was checking water levels near the at the High Plains Underground Water Conservation office in January. Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune Show More Show Less Biologist Jude Smith looks over a nearly dry spring fed by the Ogallala Aquifer at the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge in May 2021. The Ogallala Aquifer is becoming depleted amid irrigation and drought. Mark Rogers/Associated Press
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A natural spring fed by the Ogallala Aquifer fills a stock tank that provides water for wildlife at the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge in May 2021. Mark Rogers/Associated Press
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LUBBOCK — The Ogallala Aquifer is buried deep throughout the High Plains. The water flowing underneath is as good as gold for farmers in the region, serving as a lifeline in years when drought and Texas heat wither crops.
It is a critical resource for the agricultural industry — not just in Texas, but in the other seven states that it lies beneath.
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