Study to focus on regional aquifer challenges

By Kay Ledbetter, AgriLife Extension

AMARILLO – Water challenges in the Ogallala Aquifer region are the focus of a $10 million grant that will include scientists from the Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

The inaugural meeting of this new project will be March 31-April 1 in Amarillo, said Dr. Brent Auvermann, an agricultural engineering specialist with joint AgriLife Extension and AgriLife Research appointments in Amarillo.

“We wanted to meet early in the project, agree on our expectations of one another and build a solid framework for accountability,” Auvermann said.

The four-year grant supporting the project is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

“For many years, researchers have been developing more efficient irrigation techniques, water-efficient crop varieties and water-conserving soil management methods,” Auvermann said. “But we’re still draining the aquifer. It’s time to put all of the pieces together, and it’s time for each of the affected states to learn from the others.”

Colorado State University is the overall lead and the Texas Water Resources Institute in College Station will serve as the Texas lead for this project under USDA’s Water for Agriculture Challenge Area.

Other participating entities include University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University, New Mexico State University, Texas Tech University, West Texas A&M University and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service.

“The Ogallala Aquifer and the agricultural production reliant upon it are critical to the long-term sustainability of not only the region, but also food security for the United States,” said Dr. Kevin Wagner, Texas Water Resources Institute deputy director in College Station. “Through this collaboration, we hope to extend the life of the aquifer and develop long-term solutions supporting sustainable agricultural production in the region.”

The water institute and Extension participants on this project will be engaged primarily in technology transfer efforts, including leveraging Extension venues and networks to address different audiences and stakeholders and their diverse information and education needs.