Irrigation in the Texas Panhandle and Southern High Plains

Abstract

Irrigation in the Texas Panhandle and Southern High Plains has long provided the necessary moisture required by the crops in the region. Without irrigation the region would look much different. The Ogallala Aquifer supplies the bulk of the water used for irrigation, yet its supply of water is not infinite. Farmers with this knowledge have change management strategies and have opted for more efficient irrigation systems as the decades have passed. The aquifer has continued to decline even with the measures implemented and researchers are not sure exactly how much longer the aquifer will last. Even with the development of newer irrigation conservation technologies, farmers and researchers are still unsure if irrigation will continue into the future or be a thing of the past.