Ogallala: water for a dry land / John Opie, Char Miller, and Kenna Lang Archer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Opie, John, 1934- author.

Series:

Our sustainable future.

Our sustainable future

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Agricultural ecology--High Plains (U.S.)--History.

Agricultural ecology.

Agriculture--High Plains (U.S.)--History.

Agriculture.

Irrigation--High Plains (U.S.)--History.

Irrigation.

Irrigation water--High Plains (U.S.)--History.

Irrigation water.

Ogallala Aquifer--History.

Ogallala Aquifer.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Edition:

Third edition.

Manufacture:

Baltimore, Md. : Project MUSE, 2018

Place of Publication:

Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press, [2018]

Summary:

"The Ogallala aquifer, a vast underground water reserve extending from South Dakota through Texas, is the product of eons of accumulated glacial melts, ancient Rocky Mountain snowmelts, and rainfall, all percolating slowly through gravel beds hundreds of feet thick. Ogallala: Water for a Dry Land is an environmental history and historical geography that tells the story of human defiance and human commitment within the Ogallala region. It describes the Great Plains’ natural resources, the history of settlement and dryland farming, and the remarkable irrigation technologies that have industrialized farming in the region. This newly updated third edition discusses three main issues: long-term drought and its implications, the efforts of several key groundwater management districts to regulate the aquifer, and T. Boone Pickens’s failed effort to capture water from the aquifer to supply major Texas urban areas. This edition also describes the fierce independence of Texas ranchers and farmers who reject any governmental or bureaucratic intervention in their use of water, and it updates information about the impact of climate change on the aquifer and agriculture." --Publisher's description.

Contents:

Preface to the Third Edition

A Note on Editorial Method

Introduction: Learning to Think about the Ogallala

The First Half-Billion Years

Finding the Water: Boom and Bust, 1870-1940

From Dryland to Dustbowl: Not a Good Place to Farm

Windmills, Center Pivots, Feedlots, and Porkers

A Tale of Seven Water Conservation Districts

Making Irrigation Work for a Family Farm: Phil and Linda Tooms on the Moscow Road

The Future of Plains Irrigation: A New Gospel of Efficiency

Thinking the Unthinkable: Climate Change Hits the Vulnerable Plains

A Final Look.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781496207265

1496207262

9781496207289

1496207289

OCLC:

1039699823