Critical Issues Forum 2016
Addressing Changes in Regional Groundwater Resources: Lessons from the High Plains Aquifer
Groundwater is often a “transboundary” resource, shared by many groups of people across town, county, state, and international boundaries. Changes in groundwater resources can create unique challenges requiring high levels of cooperation and innovation amongst stakeholder groups, from individuals to the state and federal government levels.
About
The High Plains Aquifer (HPA), which spans eight states from South Dakota to Texas, is overlain by about 20 percent of the nation’s irrigated agricultural land, and provides about 30 percent of the groundwater used for irrigation in the country according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Work by the Kansas Geological Survey indicates that some parts of the aquifer are already effectively exhausted for agricultural purposes; some parts are estimated to have a lifespan of less than 25 years; and other areas remain generally unaffected (Buchanan et al., 2015).
The 2016 Critical Issues Forum was a 1-½ day meeting covering multiple aspects of groundwater depletion in the High Plains. Break-out sessions and participant discussions identified lessons learned and best practices from the High Plains Aquifer experience that might apply to other regions facing changes in the Earth system. The 2016 Critical Issues Forum was hosted by the Payne Institute for Earth Resources at the Colorado School of Mines, CO.
Final Report
Addressing Changes in Regional Groundwater Resources: Lessons from the High Plains Aquifer: Report of the AGI Critical Issues Forum, October 27–28, 2016, Golden, Colorado
Purchase a printed version of the report
Look out the window of an airplane while in flight over the U.S. High Plains and odds are good — particularly during the growing season — that you’ll see swaths of green-hued squares and circles standing out amid otherwise dusty brown landscapes. On the ground, these geometric patchworks are clustered fields of farmland and pasture that both provide a living for many of the people who call these regions home and feed much of the country. These verdant patches are made possible mainly by the presence of groundwater, the lifeblood of irrigation systems in the High Plains region.
Widespread use of groundwater for irrigation in the United States emerged in the early- and mid-20th century, with withdrawals growing for decades subsequent as more — and higher capacity — wells were drilled. Access to abundant groundwater allowed farmers to grow more food on more land and to better withstand crop-withering droughts. The ensuing agricultural boom fed a growing U.S. population and fueled increasing national health, prosperity and food security. Today, roughly 11 percent of U.S. cropland is located in the High Plains Aquifer (HPA) region [Figure 1], and the aquifer supplies water for about a quarter of U.S. agricultural production, more than 40 percent of U.S. feedlot beef cattle, and drinking water supplies for 82 percent of the people who live within its boundaries.
But along with the prosperity driven by groundwater have come significant concerns about undesired impacts arising from our reliance on the HPA and other aquifers. In particular, due to heavy use and slow recharge of the aquifers, groundwater levels have declined dramatically in many areas [Figure 1], forcing shifts in agricultural practices, jeopardizing the livelihoods of individuals — and whole towns in some instances — and causing collateral damage to the environment. Concerns over groundwater depletion are not limited to the U.S. — major aquifers in China and India have experienced high levels of depletion, for example. Neither are these concerns new. Domestically, however, recent severe droughts in California and in parts of the High Plains, combined with outlooks based on groundwater monitoring data, have brought renewed attention to the fate of the country’s most prominent groundwater supplies.
The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) — with generous support from AGI’s Center for Geoscience and Society, the Payne Institute for Earth Resources at the Colorado School of Mines, and AGI member societies, including the Geological Society of America, the American Institute of Professional Geologists, the Association of American State Geologists, the International Association of Hydrogeologists – U.S. National Chapter, the National Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG), and the National Ground Water Association — recently convened an open meeting of expert speakers and interested individuals from academia, consulting, professional societies, and local, state and federal agencies to discuss the use, monitoring, and management of groundwater in the United States. The assembled group at this second-ever Critical Issues Forum focused on experiences from the High Plains Aquifer (HPA) region.
The HPA was chosen as the forum emphasis not only because it features prominently in U.S. agriculture and faces significant current and future challenges, but also because — as it extends beneath multiple states — there are a variety of groundwater management practices in use across the High Plains that offer ample opportunities for comparison, information sharing, and learning.
The aim of the forum was to foster open and honest conversation about lessons learned in the region. This report provides an overview of the key lessons and ideas that emerged during the forum, and outlines approaches identified as being potentially beneficial in helping states and municipalities fulfill their own designated groundwater management goals.
Presentations
Sharon B. Megdal
Director, University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center
Overview of Western and High Plains Groundwater Issues
Groundwater Governance and Management (Keynote speaker)
Sharon B. Megdal is Director of The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center, an Extension and research unit in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She also holds the titles: Professor and Specialist, Department Soil, Water, and Environmental Science; C.W. & Modene Neely Endowed Professor; and Distinguished Outreach Professor. Her work focuses on water policy and management challenges and solutions, on which she writes and frequently speaks. Current projects include: comparative evaluation of water management, policy, and governance in growing, water-scarce regions; groundwater management and governance; groundwater recharge; and transboundary aquifer assessment. Sharon, who holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University, is active in several national water organizations and is an elected member of Central Arizona Project board, which is responsible for the rates, taxes, and policies of the largest surface water conveyance project in Arizona.
William M. Alley
Director of Science and Technology, National Ground Water Association
Overview of Western and High Plains Groundwater Issues
What is the Science Telling us about Regional Aquifers in the West?
Dr. William M. Alley is Director of Science and Technology for the National Ground Water Association. He served as Chief, Office of Groundwater for the U.S. Geological Survey for almost two decades. Dr. Alley has published over 90 scientific publications and received numerous awards for his work, including the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award. He holds a B.S. in Geological Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, an M.S. from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University. He and his wife, Rosemarie, recently completed a general science book, “High and Dry,” on the world's groundwater to be published in early 2017.
James Eklund
Director, Colorado Water Conservation Board
Overview of Western and High Plains Groundwater Issues
Policy and Regulatory Overview of Western Aquifers
James Eklund is the director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) and serves as Colorado's interstate representative on the Colorado River. As a lawyer and a government official, Eklund is already a disappointment to much of his family on the Western Slope. He is redeemed in their eyes, however, because he drinks whiskey and fights over water (but never at the same time). As the Director of the CWCB, Eklund leads the state's water policy, financing, and planning efforts. Eklund is a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Denver College of Law (neither of which, his father is quick to note, made him any better at cleaning ditches or irrigating pasture). The Upper Colorado River endangered fish he most identifies with is the Razorback Sucker because he thinks of himself as sharp but also somewhat gullible.
Nick Brozovic
Director of Policy, Water for Food Global Institute, University of Nebraska
Overview of Western and High Plains Groundwater Issues
The Economic Importance of Western Aquifers
Nick Brozovic is Director of Policy at the Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska. He works to ensure that the Institute's programs inform water management policies and decision makers. Brozovic has over 15 years of experience in water policy worldwide. A particular focus of his research is on evaluating policies and governance structures for agricultural water management, including water market design and implementation. He holds doctoral and master's degrees in agricultural and resource economics from the University of California-Berkeley, a master's degree in geology from the University of Southern California and a bachelor's degree in geology from Oxford University.
Jim Butler
Senior Scientist, Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas
The High Plains Aquifer: Perspectives from Kansas and Nebraska
Perspectives from Kansas
Jim Butler is a Senior Scientist and Chief of the Geohydrology Section of the Kansas Geological Survey at the University of Kansas, where he has worked since 1986. He holds a B.S. in Geology from the College of William and Mary, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Applied Hydrogeology from Stanford University. Jim was the 2007 Darcy Distinguished Lecturer of the National Ground Water Association and the 2009 recipient of the Pioneers in Groundwater Award of the Environmental and Water Resources Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Ann Bleed
Former Director, Nebraska Department of National Resources
The High Plains Aquifer: Perspectives from Kansas and Nebraska
Perspectives from Nebraska
Ann Bleed, Ph.D., P.E. Emeritus, is retired, but currently is director on the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District. For most of her career Ann worked at the State of Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, first as the State Hydrologist, then as Deputy Director, and finally as Director of the Department. While at the Department she also served as a Nebraska representative on the negotiating teams that settled two interstate water allocation lawsuits over the North Platte and Republican Rivers before the U.S. Supreme Court, and helped develop the Platte River Recovery and Implementation Program.
Rex Buchanan
Director Emeritus, Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas
Moderator, The High Plains Aquifer: Perspectives from Kansas and Nebraska
Rex Buchanan is the Director Emeritus of the Kansas Geological Survey, based at the University of Kansas. A native of Kansas, he is the co-author of Roadside Kansas: A Guide to its Geology and Landmarks (rev. edition, 2010) and editor of Kansas Geology: An Introduction to Landscapes, Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils (rev. edition, 2010), both published by the University Press of Kansas; and co-author of The Canyon Revisited: A Rephotography of the Grand Canyon, 1923-1991, published by the University of Utah Press (1994). He served as Secretary of the Association of American State Geologists and chaired the Kansas Task Force on Induced Seismicity. In 2008 he was named a fellow of the Geological Society of America and in 2016 received GSA's Public Service Award.
Steven D. Walthour
General Manager, North Plains Groundwater Conservation District, Texas
The High Plains Aquifer: Perspectives from Texas and Oklahoma
Perspectives from Texas
Steve Walthour is the General Manager of the North Plains Groundwater Conservation District. He has 28 years experience in subsurface geology and groundwater management. Steve holds a Master's Degree from the University of Arkansas and is a licensed professional geoscientist in the State of Texas (License No. 1582).
Kyle E. Murray
Hydrogeologist, Oklahoma Geological Survey, University of Oklahoma
The High Plains Aquifer: Perspectives from Texas and Oklahoma
Perspectives from Oklahoma
Dr. Kyle E. Murray is a Hydrogeologist for the Oklahoma Geological Survey (OGS) at the University of Oklahoma (OU). His research covers a broad spectrum of topics in Oklahoma & the mid-Continent including water issues in the energy sector, regional water supply, contaminants of emerging concern (CEC), and wastewater reuse in the municipal and industrial sector. He is a member of the Oklahoma City Geological Society (OCGS), Geological Society of America (GSA), National Ground Water Association (NGWA), American Geophysical Union (AGU), and the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) where he serves as an Associate Editor for Hydrogeology Journal.
David Wunsch
State Geologist and Director, Delaware Geological Survey
Moderator, The High Plains Aquifer: Perspectives from Texas and Oklahoma
David R. Wunsch is the Director and State Geologist of the Delaware Geological Survey (DGS). Dr. Wunsch formerly served as the Director of Science and Technology for the National Ground Water Association (NGWA), and as an associate editor of the journal Groundwater. He was the State Geologist of New Hampshire from 2000 to 2010, and is a Licensed Professional Geologist in Kentucky, New Hampshire, and Delaware. Wunsch served as President of the Association of American State Geologists (AASG), and is a member of the federal Subcommittee on Ground Water (SOGW), which developed a framework for monitoring the Nation's groundwater resources. Dr. Wunsch is a Fellow of the GSA. He received the 1999 Outstanding Kentucky Geologist Award, and in 2014 the American Geosciences Institute's Outstanding Contribution to the Understanding of Geoscience award.
John E. McCray
Professor and Head, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines
Moderator, Forum Overview and Moderated Discussion
John McCray is Professor and Head of the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department at Colorado School of Mines, specializing in hydrology, water resources, and water quality. He is currently Mines PI of the NSF Engineering Research Center for urban water, ReNUWIt, the first ERC for water. He is a member of the U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board, a Fellow of the ASCE Environmental and Water Resources Institute, and was a Fulbright Fellow to Chile for water resources. He earned his PhD in hydrology and water resources from the University of Arizona, and a BS in engineering from West Virginia University.
Wendy J. Harrison
Professor, Geology and Geological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines
Moderator, Forum Overview and Moderated Discussion
Moderator, Lessons, Reports, and Revelations: What Have We Learned?
Wendy J. Harrison is a tenured Professor of Geology and Geological Engineering at Colorado School of Mines. Her fields of scholarly expertise are in geochemistry and hydrology as well as geoscience education and she has published papers in topics that range from impact shock metamorphism in lunar materials, the formation of gas hydrates and their role in CO2 sequestration, metals uptake by trees in mined lands, and mitigating respiratory quartz dust hazard. Dr. Harrison recently completed an appointment at the National Science Foundation as Division Director for Earth Sciences in the Geosciences Directorate. She currently serves as an academic advisor to the Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi and Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan. Her work experience includes 8 years as a senior research geologist for Exxon Production Research Company in Houston, Texas.
Merri Lisa Trigilio
Ph.D. Geoscience, Director/Producer - Written On Water
Evening Keynote Address
Written on Water's Producer and Director Merri Lisa Trigilio has an art degree in photography and film, and a doctorate degree in Geosciences from Penn State University. After fifteen years working as a geophysicist and later as a researcher in carbon sequestration, Merri Lisa found her way back to documentary storytelling. In 2012, she was a fellow at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC where she wrote and produced educational documentaries. She continues to explore science communication through the film medium, working as a freelance producer and director for educational institutions.
Susan Stover
Outreach Manager, Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas
Thinking Beyond the High Plains Aquifer
Water & Negotiations in the West: Engaging Stakeholders
Susan Stover, P.G., is Outreach Manager at the Kansas Geological Survey. She worked in water policy, water resource planning and environmental remediation for the State of Kansas for 20 years, before joining the Survey in 2014. Her experience includes working with stakeholders on programs and policies to conserve the High Plains aquifer; organizing conferences on water and on teaching evolution; and hosting field trips for state legislators. She holds an M.S. in geology, University of Kansas, and a B.A. in geology, University of Nebraska. Stover is a Geological Society of America Fellow and vice-chair of GSA's Geology & Society Division.
Jason Gurdak
Associate Professor, San Francisco State University
Thinking Beyond the High Plains Aquifer
Groundwater Policy in the Face of Climate Change (Keynote speaker)
Dr. Jason Gurdak is an Associate Professor of Hydrogeology in the Department of Earth & Climate Sciences at San Francisco State University. He is Coordinator of the UNESCO-International Hydrologic Program called Groundwater Resources Assessment under the Pressure of Humanity and Climate Change (GRAPHIC). GRAPHIC is a global-scale research, education, and outreach program that addresses climate change and sustainability of global groundwater resources. Prior to joining SFSU, he was a Hydrologist for 11 years with the USGS. Dr. Gurdak has authored more than 50 publications in hydrology, including topics on the science and policy of climate change impacts and adaptation of groundwater resources.
Elizabeth Eide
Director, Board on Earth Sciences and Resources, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Moderator, Lessons, Reports, and Revelations: What Have We Learned?
Elizabeth Eide directs the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources and Water Science and Technology Board at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The Boards oversee activities including energy and mineral resources; hazards; geotechnical engineering; geospatial and geographical science; and all issues related to water. Prior to joining the Academies in 2005, she was a research geologist for 12 years at the Norwegian Geological Survey. She is a Fulbright Scholarship recipient and was elected to the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters. She completed a Ph.D. at Stanford University and B.A. at Franklin & Marshall College, both in geology.
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