U.S. Water News Online
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Parts of Nebraska are experiencing groundwater declines of more than 30 feet largely because of increased irrigation and the seven-year drought, according to annual monitoring by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
"We certainly aren't coming to the bottom of the well, so to speak, but the level of groundwater declines in many parts of Nebraska are indisputable and could even be viewed as alarming," said Mark Burbach, assistant geoscientist in UNL's School of Natural Resources.
"There are now large areas of southwest Nebraska and Box Butte County that have experienced groundwater declines of greater than 50 feet since large scale groundwater development began," Burbach said.
While groundwater development for irrigation didn't develop at the same pace across the state, the beginning of large-scale development is generally regarded as 1952.
In recording groundwater aquifer level changes over the last six years, from spring 2000 to spring 2006, large swaths of the state show groundwater declines ranging from 5 to 10 feet to greater than 25 feet.
Hardest hit are areas relying heavily on irrigated agriculture, such as Perkins, Chase and Dundy counties in southwest Nebraska and all along the Platte River valley.
"Areas that experienced groundwater level declines before the recent drought are some of the most heavily affected areas during the drought," Burbach said. "Hamilton, York, Polk and Butler counties show some of the largest declines."
The largest groundwater level declines since the drought began are in portions of Clay, York, Butler and Dundy counties, where in some cases the declines have exceeded 30 feet over the past six years, Burbach said.
In the last five years, only a few areas have shown minimal increases -- notably Valley, Rock and Holt counties.
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