[Interview by Natalie Jones originally published by IANR]
Nebraska’s groundwater is a fundamental building block of life and a valuable resource for livestock and agriculture, according to Troy Gilmore, assistant professor and groundwater hydrologist in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln School of Natural Resources – Conservation and Survey Division and in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering. Gilmore studies Nebraska’s groundwater and surface water as valuable natural resources.
Groundwater is located underground, typically in large aquifers. It must be pumped out of the ground to use for human and animal consumption and for crop irrigation, Gilmore said. Much of Nebraska overlies one of the largest reserves of groundwater in the United States — the High Plains Aquifer, commonly referred to as the Ogallala Aquifer. The High Plains Aquifer underlies approximately 174,000 square miles in portions of eight states, from North Dakota to Texas.
“Nebraska is atop some of the deepest and largest reserves of groundwater,” Gilmore said.
Groundwater and surface water are interconnected, he said. The quality of one affects the quality of the other continue to full article.