The Ogallala Aquifer

• Also referred to as High Plains Aquifer

• Size and Stats

• Unnoticed until 1870s

Previous slide

Next slide

Back to first slide

View graphic version

The Ogallala is often the overlooked aquifer in Texas. You can see from this overview that it underlies the states from South Dakota to Texas, and this groundwater system is the largest in North America. The terms Ogallala Aquifer and High Plains Aquifer are often used interchangeably. The High Plains aquifer refers to the collective total of the aquifers of the Great Plains region of which the Ogallala comprises about 80%.

The aquifer covers 174,000 square miles and holds a quadrillion gallons of water. To give you an idea of how much water this is, there would be enough to fill Lake Huron to the brim and one-fifth of Lake Ontario. There is also enough to cover all 50 states with a foot and a half of water.

This aquifer was essentially undiscovered until the 1870s and the Great Plains region was long thought to be arid because of its limited precipitation. Many farmers moved there anyway because of cheap lands, hoping that success and rain would follow them, but crop failures were frequent. These farmers practiced dryland farming, which uses available moisture from precipitation.