Ogallala, Third Edition: Water for a Dry Land

By John Opie

Book Overview

2019 Choice Outstanding Academic Title

The Ogallala aquifer, a vast underground water reserve extending from South Dakota through Texas, is the product of eons of accumulated glacial melts, ancient Rocky Mountain snowmelts, and rainfall, all percolating slowly through gravel beds hundreds of feet thick.

Ogallala: Water for a Dry Land is an environmental history and historical geography that tells the story of human defiance and human commitment within the Ogallala region. It describes the Great Plains' natural resources, the history of settlement and dryland farming, and the remarkable irrigation technologies that have industrialized farming in the region. This newly updated third edition discusses three main issues: long-term drought and its implications, the efforts of several key groundwater management districts to regulate the aquifer, and T. Boone Pickens's failed effort to capture water from the aquifer to supply major Texas urban areas. This edition also describes the fierce independence of Texas ranchers and farmers who reject any governmental or bureaucratic intervention in their use of water, and it updates information about the impact of climate change on the aquifer and agriculture.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803296975
• ISBN13: 9780803296978
• Release Date: August 2018
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
• Length: 438 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A very good introduction to this topic

A few years ago I came across a magazine article that discussed the importance of the Ogallala Aquifer to American agriculture, geography, and society. Realizing that I knew absolutely nothing about this topic I picked up John Opie's book. It's safe to say that I now know more about the Ogallala Aquifer than I could ever have imagined possible.The book begins with a discussion of the geology of the aquifer, and then moves into the history of irrigation efforts on the Plains since the 19th century, and finally to a discussion of the various irrigation technologies currently used to exploit the aquifer. There is ample discussion along the way about how these technologies have changed over the years as environmental consciousness and the problems of declining aquifer levels have become more prevalent. This book is not only a very informative look at the Ogallala Aquifer but is pleasantly readable as well. And now that it is (finally) available in a more affordable paperback edition, I'm going to go buy a copy for myself.