Business and the Environment by the Ogallala Aquifier

Liquid Gold: Depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer in Western Kansas
By Alan Jilka

Corporate social responsibility reports are in vogue these days. And no doubt many, if not most emanate from a sincere desire to be good stewards of natural resources during the search for profits. The aims of such reports are many, but in western Kansas all environmental concerns are trumped by the availability of water. It is a well-established fact that the Ogallala Aquifer is declining at least six inches per year, and only a small portion of that figure is replenished. Many companies are following the public at large and neglecting this most pressing of issues in the region. And government policy is encouraging the further depletion of water resources in the area. This article aims to touch on these issues.
First a little geography. The region along the Colorado/Kansas border receives in the range of ten to twelve inches of annual rainfall. Traveling east that figure increases approximately two inches for each thirty miles. So by the time a traveler reaches the eastern regions of the state rainfall is plentiful. But there’s one problem with the picture. The majority of the farming in the state occurs in the central and western regions. In these rural sections the Ogallala Aquifer serves as the economic lifeblood for residents and the dominant industry - agriculture. The shortage of rainfall has led to the huge rise of the irrigation farming in recent decades, in particular corresponding with increased corn cultivation in western Kansas.
Kansas has long been known as one of the leading wheat-producing states in the country. But in recent years corn production has risen dramatically and now threatens to overtake wheat as the state’s leading crop. Multiple factors account for the change. Geneticists have been spectacularly successful in multiplying corn yields. Scientists have also invented numerous corn-based food additives, creating increased demand for the crop. Additionally, the corn ethanol industry has grown tremendously as we grapple with our energy needs. And western Kansas continues as one of the leading cattle-ranching areas of the world. Cattlemen have learned that cows fatten quicker, and often provide better quality meat when corn fed instead of grass fed. All of the above have combined to push an exploding demand for corn.
Given the shortage of rainfall, farmers have had to draw upon the Aquifer for irrigation purposes. Accordingly, per capita water use has multiplied exponentially. The following statistic brings the situation into focus. Salina Journal reporter Duane Schragg wrote a series of articles on water usage in the area for the paper in the Spring of 2007. He noted that Saline County, in the central part of the state with a population of approximately 55,000 residents uses approximately 11.8 Millions gallons of water per day. By comparison, Finney County in western Kansas, with a population of approximately 27,000 people uses an average of 247.6 Million gallons of water per day. Crop irrigation accounts for most of the difference.
Concern over depletion of the Aquifer has taken a back seat in recent years to concern over air quality, a dispute sparked by Sunflower Electric’s proposal to build a coal-fired power plant near Holcomb. Holcomb has had a coal-fired plant for decades, and in a relatively sparsely populated area one might argue that little harm had been done to the environment. Sunflower came along during the middle of the past decade and announced plans to build three new power generation facilities. The proposal was, along the way reduced to two new plants, and ultimately to one in the compromise brokered by incoming Gov. Mark Parkinson in the spring of 2009.
Air quality is important. Those who oppose the Holcomb coal-fired plant do so for valid reasons. But we would argue that reversing the accelerating depletion of the aquifer is the major environmental challenge of the coming decade in Kansas. The issue probably takes precedence over even water quality standards, which are often themselves the subject of controversy.
Agriculture and ag-related industries dominate western Kansas. In addition to crop farming and ranching the largest employers are packing plants and other food-related enterprises. Reports from such companies can claim successes in areas such as reducing nitrogen discharge into wastewater, and the creative reclaiming of methane from lagoons and turning it into biogas to fuel plant operations.
In addition to environmental regulation government policy can play a role in the future of the Ogallala Aquifer. The region needs a serious discussion as to whether the subsidies provided for intensive irrigated corn farming will compromise future generations’ possibilities of living off the land. For example, are the benefits to be gained by switching to a fifteen percent mix in corn ethanol, as opposed to the current ten percent standard, offset by the continued depletion of the Aquifer? Put another way, is the short-term search for profits compromising the region’s long-term viability?
Annual reports on corporate social responsibility will run down a list of items commonly associated with good environmental stewardship. And most, if not all are valid in any honest attempt to evaluate a company’s environmental footprint. But one must always consider the region where a company operates. In western Kansas, water supply issues overshadow all others.