Conserving the Ogallala Aquifer: Efficiency, Equity, and Moral Motives

Abstract

The Ogallala Aquifer is a vast geologic formation that sprawls underneath parts of eight states from South Dakota to Texas. Early settlers in the semiarid High Plains were plagued by crop failures due to cycles of drought, culminating in the disastrous Dust Bowl of the 1930s. After World War II, affordable technology became available to irrigate from the Ogallala. The High Plains was then transformed into one of the most agriculturally productive regions in the world. To say that the High Plains economy now “runs on water” is probably no exaggeration. Irrigated crops provide feed for livestock, which are in turn the primary inputs for local meat processing plants. Water is also essential for the livestock production and meat processing industries. The crop, livestock, and meat processing sectors form the core of the regional economy, accounting for a large share of employment and gross output. Because the Ogallala recharges very slowly, the High Plains economy is dependent on a finite resource. The fate of the High Plains has been a policy issue since depletion of the Ogallala became apparent in the 1970s. Policy makers have wrestled with how—and whether—to conserve the groundwater resource. This debate has recently returned to the