| dc.description.abstract | Agricultural prosperity in northwestern Oklahoma is inextricably linked to irrigation with ground water pumped from the High Plains aquifer. Annual withdrawls far exceed natural rechare and, as a result, water levels have declined by more than 100 feet in many areas during past 40 years. Continued pumping at current rates will deplete large areas of the quiferand render irrigation economically unfeasible in the future. Artificial recharge, where feasible, offers a means to augment the supply of water in storage and reduce, or possibly even halt, the rate of water-level decline. Becuase the High Plains aquifer underlies about 7,500 square miles of northwestern Oklahoma, a vast amount of data, from a variety of sources, had to be collected and interpreted. Ultimately, these data were incorporated into the synoptic regional evaluation presented here. This thesis marks the first comprehensive analysis of artifical recharge to the High Plains aquifer in Oklahoma. Much of the data contained within these pages, whether or not a direct result of this study, can be used as a foundation for future, site-specific studies. Potential users of the investigative results include state and federal agencies, municipalities, industries, ground-water management districts, and farmers and ranchers. To accomodate such a broad audience, the general toneof the thesis is non-technical. | |
