Did the Drought Affect Aquifer Water Measurements?

Many people have been asking the District how the water fared after the record breaking drought through last year. The answer is that it depends on where you are standing. One thing to consider when looking at the maps in this newsletter is the use of the five year rolling average (explained in the “Explanation of 5 Year Average” article) will mitigate the effects of a single year’s low measurement. For example, if a well declined six feet this year, its five year average decline might only be 2.5 feet. Many areas did not see any more average depletion than usual in the Ogallala Aquifer.

Armstrong, Donley and Gray counties saw average depletion very similar to last years. This year the average depletion in Wheeler County looked a bit better than last year. Roberts County had a larger area of average depletion than last year. However, much of the production in that county is for municipal use, and a second well field has been added to the first in that area. The average depletion in Carson County is also worse than last year. In most years the majority of Carson County is between zero and one foot down, but this year the majority of the county was between one and two feet down. This is likely caused by the drought’s affect on the combined irrigation and municipal production in this county.

While the average decline maps depicted in this newsletter do not show much more decline than in previous years, there are some wells with significantly more annual decline than usual as a result of the drought. One benefit of the drought is the awareness of our water supply and the importance of conservation. It would be a shame to waste that!