Talk:Ogallala Aquifer

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Contents 1 Severe Inconsistancies! 2 Water Mining 3 Spelling 4 Sections? 5 Sustainability 6 Depictions/References in Popular Fiction?

[edit] Severe Inconsistancies!

As i'm reading this article, first it says:

"Presently, groundwater in the United States is utilized approximately four times faster than it is naturally replaced.[citation needed]"

then it says:

"Today, water is being extracted at rates exceeding one hundred times the natural replacement rate.[citation needed]"

This is extremely poor reporting. Will somebody please check the sources and make this article accurate?! --Anonymous Reader —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.209.219.84 (talk) 21:37, 30 April 2007 (UTC).

Furthermore, both are uncited and could lead to an environmentalist POV. If references can be provided, they should be changed to match and left in. Otherwise, it may come across as an agenda. The 'citation needed' remark emphasizes that appearance. BobertWABC (talk) 17:07, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Water Mining

I'd recommend taking the general hydrological information provided here and integrating it into the new Water Mining article, and let this article be particularly about the Ogallala Aquifer. 75.6.148.210 06:00, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Spelling

Is it Oglala or Ogalala? Google search shows both, with a slight numerical superiority to Ogalala. -- Zoe

It shows many more for Ogallala (two Ls the first time) - 5000 and odd rather than 100 and odd. I'll move it there. --Camembert

The "proper" name, geologically speaking, seems to be "High Plains Aquifer". That's how it's referred to in all USGS references that I find, among others. I'll move it there if convincing objections don't arise here soon. --Kbh3rd 18:17, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Negative, more common name is Ogallala. Leave it here. --M1ss1ontomars2k4 04:37, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Sections?

Should this be broke up into subject based sections? Or is this about all the material it will have? Some more info from the many USGS reports on it could be used to make it much more quantitative; but it is pretty good right now, I think. --kris 00:31, 22 May 2005 (UTC)

I thought about sections. I'm not sure there's quite enough there now. If it were to be broken up, sections on its origins/geology and exploitation/depletion are obvious. -- Kbh3rd 02:33, 22 May 2005 (UTC)

I wrote that before seeing what changes you wrought to my prose – good work! I bet you could break it into sections to good effect. What it could really use now are some good references. -- Kbh3rd 02:41, 22 May 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Sustainability

A section on the sustainability of the aquifer for irrigation purposes would be useful - see [1]: "Estimates for its remaining lifespan vary in different areas, ranging from 60 to 250 years." Ziggurat 01:28, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

• Desertification

This is a good, if dated, article on plans for large scale exploitation of the high plains aquifer to provide fresh water to the rapidly growing cities of the southwest and the problems with Texas's "right of capture" policy for groundwater. [2] Litch Sat Jul 8 15:09:55 CDT 2006

Not to mention, the impact of meat-eating, cow milk production, and the benefits to the aquifer of large numbers of humans going vegan. Source - Diet for a New America, by John Robbins.

I really like the "water level change" map, but it's twelve years out of date; anyone know of a more recent one. TomSchaffter 23:46, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

"Agricultural dependence on this valuable water source needs to change within a generation in order to save this invaluable groundwater source." This statement is unsourced and seems more like a piece of advocacy than a piece of fact, particularly given the fact that the article mentions that some parts of the aquifer have increased water levels. If this is actually true, fine, but it needs to be sourced to some reliable source (Dept. of Agriculture?). Otherwise, it just sounds like a conservationist POV. --Nathan

[edit] Depictions/References in Popular Fiction?

Wondering if such references and depictions would be considered fair for inclusion in this article in their own section? - D. Williams 8 Apr 2006