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WATER US GROUNDWATER DEPLETION PBS NewsHour: Depletion of major groundwater source threatens Great Plains farming PLAY YOUTUBE VIDEO Original article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s3xCNngm0w Peter Burgess COMMENTARY Peter Burgess
Depletion of major groundwater source threatens Great Plains farming PBS NewsHour ... PBS is an American public broadcast service. 4.07M subscribers ... 166,927 views ... 2.9K likes Jun 24, 2024 In the heart of the country, Great Plains farmers and ranchers produce a quarter of all U.S. crops and 40 percent of its beef. But they rely on a resource that has been slowly drying up, water. Stephanie Sy reports from Kansas for our series on the impact of climate change, Tipping Point. Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: TikTok: / pbsnews Twitter: / newshour Instagram: / newshour Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe: PBS NewsHour podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe Transcript 0:04 Great plains' farmers and ranchers produce 40% of U.S. Crops a beef. But they rely on a resource that has been drying up, water. 0:17 Ongoing series on climate change and water, 'Tipping point.' 0:25 >> This is a small glimpse of 0:27 what the situation was. 0:32 >> Dry southwestern Kansas where 0:35 winds whip dust into the sky. 0:37 It is difficult land to farm but 0:41 Peterson is. 0:43 >> We are raising sixth 0:45 generation. 0:46 We have been through a lot of 0:47 droughts. 0:48 But I know what evidence to do 0:51 has been tough. 0:52 >> Farms like Peterson are a 0:55 vital part. 0:56 Much of the grain he grows heads 0:59 to the cattle feed markets 1:02 powering the state's beefing industry. Nearly a quarter of the steaks on our dinner plate come from Kansas. >> We are dependent on 1:13 agriculture and lifeblood. 1:16 >> Katie runs the ground water 1:19 management district in west 1:22 central Kansas. 1:24 >> Our banks to the dealers, 1:26 anything you see is related to 1:29 agriculture. 1:29 >> And the agricultural industry 1:31 relies on one increasing squares 1:36 resource. 1:36 >> Without ground water, we 1:38 would ceas to exist. 1:44 A massive reservoir that runs 1:46 into eight states from south 1:48 Dakota to Texas. 1:50 As the darker color on this map 1:53 shows, parts of the aquifer in 1:56 Texas, Oklahoma and western 1:59 Kansas are in deep decline. 2:01 That's a problem because the economy relies on water-intensive crops, mainly corn. >> We don't have the streams. And little bit unusual. What we do have is the aquifer 2:16 underneath our feet. 2:18 >> Brownie Wilson Kansas 2:22 geological survey measures 2:25 wells. 2:26 He has seen wells drop 100 feet 2:29 since 2021. 2:31 What we are doing now is not 2:33 sustainable and track every 2:37 year. 2:37 The aquifer cannot support that 2:40 pumping demands anymore. 2:44 >> The depletion isn't uniform. 2:47 The aquifer's topography; as an 2:51 egg carton. 2:52 And we call it salt rated 2:55 thickness and some will have 2:57 more than others. 2:59 Likewise, some areas will have 3:00 more decline. >> Peterson is one of those areas in southwest Kansas seeing the state's steepest declines in ground water. >> I have abandoned half the 3:12 wells. 3:12 They are not fees I will to pump 3:14 anymore. 3:15 If I wanted to be a water baron, 3:18 I could pump all year long and 3:21 make something happen out of it. 3:23 But I can't sleep at night doing 3:26 that. 3:27 >> You know how that ends. 3:29 >> I know how that ends. 3:31 >> The end of livelihoods? 3:34 >> But what worries me Morris 3:37 the people and the communities. 3:39 That's what you see suffering. 3:41 See the communities drying up 3:42 with the water. 3:44 >> The overdraft of the aquifer 3:46 is a result. 3:49 >> Climate scientist co-founded 3:50 the pacific institute, a global 3:53 water think tank based in 3:54 California. 3:56 >> Farmers have brought a 3:57 tremendous amount of land into 3:59 production and that requires a 4:00 lot of water. In part, climate change is reducing the amount of water going to recharge those aquifers. >> Rising temperatures means 4:13 more water and intense heat 4:17 causes water to evaporate. 4:18 There is a long established link 4:21 between climate change and 4:22 drought, like the one Kansas 4:24 experienced in 2022 causing 4:28 record low prescription in seven 4:30 western communities. 4:31 >> What we are seeing in the 4:34 aquifer in the depletion of 4:35 ground water and central valley 4:37 of California where every year, 4:40 we see massive overdraft of 4:42 ground water and in the southern 4:45 parts of the San Joaquin valley. 4:48 We have to bring ground water 4:51 back into balance or else there 4:53 will be serious disruptions. 4:56 >> Farmers saw heavy water use 4:58 as key to success, attitudes are 5:00 changing. >> The green zone is optimal range for moisture for this crop. >> Steve kromp ton uses a tablet to manage his sprinklers. >> When it rained, people would let their systems run and 5:23 everybody is so conscious of 5:25 that and get supplemental rain, 5:27 no reason to keep it running. 5:29 I like the way they spin around. 5:35 >> He became disabled after a 5:41 car accident. 5:42 >> We can look at that thing on 5:45 the internet and know what the 5:47 level of moisture is on that 5:49 ground. 5:50 We know after a rain whether we 5:52 can turn for a while and 5:55 conserve some water. 5:57 >> Even though none of the wells 5:59 have run dry, Compton with all 6:02 the other farmers in his county and three neighboring counties have committed to cutting their water use up to 25%. Katie did yourham implemented water usage in her district following success with them in northern Kansas. 6:24 >> People can take local 6:27 control. 6:27 Having conversations about what 6:28 this meant and how it would 6:30 affect them and the big question 6:32 is what is going to happen if we 6:34 don't do something. 6:37 >> For Compton, it's about being 6:38 a good steward of the land and 6:41 resources. 6:42 >> The farmer loves the land and 6:44 do whatever we can to maintain 6:46 that type of life and able to 6:49 pass that on. 6:50 >> Back down in southwest Kansas 6:53 which has seen the steepest 6:55 declines, no restrictions are in 6:57 place to control overpumping. 6:59 >> Everyone has the right to 7:01 drive themselves into bankruptcy but somebody has to back off. That's what I did and I sought other technologies to be more efficient. The sadness of the losing the 7:14 water. 7:15 >> He has invested in a new 7:17 irrigation system that uses 7:19 water more efficiently and begun 7:22 to replace corn crops, a 7:26 resilient grain that can be used 7:28 to feed cattle and people. 7:30 Peterson has reduced his water 7:33 use by 15%. 7:34 And for him, that means his sons 7:36 may have a shot of carrying on 7:39 the family business. 7:40 >> Conserving the water is a big 7:43 part of them having the 7:44 opportunity to be successful 7:47 here. Could have a sound economy around them to support the operation and that would be fantastic. >> Whether or not the voluntary conservation efforts of farmers will be enough remains as 8:00 uncertain as any given day's weather. For the pbs 'Newshour.' I'm Stephanie sy.

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