According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Ogallala Aquifer, which provides about 30 percent of the groundwater used for irrigation in the United States, is being drained faster than it can recharge. As with many above-ground lakes, that means it could one day run dry.

The USGS has reported that groundwater levels in some areas of the Ogallala – which runs from Texas to South Dakota – have dropped 200 feet since large-scale irrigation began. NASA’s Earthdata analysis found that overuse has led to significant declines in Ogallala groundwater levels that threaten its sustainability.

Water management is becoming a critical issue for farmers and ranchers. Even in Texas, people are too familiar with electricity brownouts and blackouts that sometimes last for days. But when a reservoir or an aquifer runs dry, the wait can be far longer.

Former Texas State Geologist Scott Tinker says the life of the Ogallala Aquifer can be extended with a better system for managing and reusing produced water associated with oil and gas operations in the Permian Basin.

A decade ago, Tinker helped create TexNet at the Bureau of Economic Geology, which maintains over 200 seismometers that track earthquakes. The Railroad Commission of Texas uses TexNet to help mitigate earthquakes that might be tied to oil and gas production.

Tinker proposes a similar program for produced water. If industry utilizes water desalination technologies to clean up about half of the volume, it would generate hundreds of millions of gallons of fresh water every day, while the remaining salt water would help mitigate earthquakes.

Desalinated water could then be used to irrigate........

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