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Ogallala Aquifer down nine percent in 60 years

A new report by the U.S. Geological Survey says the Ogallala Aquifer has shrunk nine percent since cities and irrigators first started tapping into it about 60 years ago. And the report says the aquifer has dropped a foot on average in Nebraska since the early 1950’s.

The Ogallala Aquifer, sometimes referred to as the High Plains Aquifer, is a vast underground reservoir of water that sits beneath several Western and Plains states. It supplies about 30 percent of the nation’s groundwater used for irrigation.