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Ogallala Blue: Water and Life on the High Plains
The story of a crucial, dwindling natural an invisible ocean of fresh water under the Great Plains.
The Ogallala aquifer contains enough water to fill Lake Erie not once but nine times over, and it stretches from Texas to South Dakota, from Colorado almost to Nebraska. Every year, five trillion gallons are pumped out for irrigation, and if the aquifer went dry (or, more accurately, when it goes dry), $20 billion worth of food and fiber would disappear practically overnight.
In this lively, carefully researched narrative, William Ashworth tells the history of the Ogallala, from its formation after the retreat of the glaciers through to its uncertain future. The most dramatic part of that history deals with efforts to exploit the hidden waters, starting with the primitive wells of long-vanished tribes, through the invention of the center-pivot sprinkler, and on to ever more sophisticated extraction technologies. This is an account of people as well as water, with many vignettes of those living in the shadow of the Ogallala's decline and ultimate demise.
The Ogallala aquifer contains enough water to fill Lake Erie not once but nine times over, and it stretches from Texas to South Dakota, from Colorado almost to Nebraska. Every year, five trillion gallons are pumped out for irrigation, and if the aquifer went dry (or, more accurately, when it goes dry), $20 billion worth of food and fiber would disappear practically overnight.
In this lively, carefully researched narrative, William Ashworth tells the history of the Ogallala, from its formation after the retreat of the glaciers through to its uncertain future. The most dramatic part of that history deals with efforts to exploit the hidden waters, starting with the primitive wells of long-vanished tribes, through the invention of the center-pivot sprinkler, and on to ever more sophisticated extraction technologies. This is an account of people as well as water, with many vignettes of those living in the shadow of the Ogallala's decline and ultimate demise.
330 pages, Hardcover
First published June 19, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 15, 2026
Overall, I liked this book a lot. I've given in 4 out of 5 stars here, but I feel it is more like a 9 out of 10 book. (Actually, I had a lot more to say, but somehow it got deleted before being saved, so I will make this brief.)
Ogallala Blue is fascinating if you are interested in the state of the Ogallala Aquifer that provides water to much of the Great Plains from Texas to South Dakota. Since this area is America's so-called "bread basket," the agriculture here is vital to the rest of the US and to some extent, the world.
The Ogallala is a vast natural underground reservoir of water, much of which is millions of years old (that is, the water was sequestered in the aquifer millions of years ago by natural processes). Some of the water seeps to the surface to form streams, but most remains underground until pumped for use to water crops and provide water for many municipalities. In many places, streams and rivers that flowed strong have dried up due, at least in large measure, to pumping the water our for crops and people.
The Ogallala Aquifer is declining, some might say precipitously, due largely to this pumping out of its water for agriculture and other human use.
Very approximately, the first half of the book deals with the geology and physiography of the Ogallala region, whereas the second half is geared more toward social and legal issues related to water use in the region.
QUOTE:
"In Great Bend, Kansas, over the long eastern limb of the Ogallala, I heard a tale of two wildlife refuges—a pair of major wetland complexes called Quivira and Cheyenne Bottoms that feather out each spring and fall as masses of birds flock along the great migration route ornithologists call the Central Flyway. Quivira is a federal wildlife refuge; Cheyenne 'Bottoms is protected jointly by the state ol. Kansas and the Nature Conservancy. Both refuges hold senior rights granting them the use of surface water, Quivira from Rattlesnake Creek, Cheyenne Bottoms from Wet Walnut Creek and the Arkansas River. There is little surface water to use. Center pivots have sprouted throughout the watersheds of all three streams, and the baseflow in each has dropped dramatically. In the Arkansas River it has gone away entirely. Baseflow in the Arkansas officially begins at Great Bend; above, there is nothing in the riverbed except ephemeral runoff."
Ogallala Blue is fascinating if you are interested in the state of the Ogallala Aquifer that provides water to much of the Great Plains from Texas to South Dakota. Since this area is America's so-called "bread basket," the agriculture here is vital to the rest of the US and to some extent, the world.
The Ogallala is a vast natural underground reservoir of water, much of which is millions of years old (that is, the water was sequestered in the aquifer millions of years ago by natural processes). Some of the water seeps to the surface to form streams, but most remains underground until pumped for use to water crops and provide water for many municipalities. In many places, streams and rivers that flowed strong have dried up due, at least in large measure, to pumping the water our for crops and people.
The Ogallala Aquifer is declining, some might say precipitously, due largely to this pumping out of its water for agriculture and other human use.
Very approximately, the first half of the book deals with the geology and physiography of the Ogallala region, whereas the second half is geared more toward social and legal issues related to water use in the region.
QUOTE:
"In Great Bend, Kansas, over the long eastern limb of the Ogallala, I heard a tale of two wildlife refuges—a pair of major wetland complexes called Quivira and Cheyenne Bottoms that feather out each spring and fall as masses of birds flock along the great migration route ornithologists call the Central Flyway. Quivira is a federal wildlife refuge; Cheyenne 'Bottoms is protected jointly by the state ol. Kansas and the Nature Conservancy. Both refuges hold senior rights granting them the use of surface water, Quivira from Rattlesnake Creek, Cheyenne Bottoms from Wet Walnut Creek and the Arkansas River. There is little surface water to use. Center pivots have sprouted throughout the watersheds of all three streams, and the baseflow in each has dropped dramatically. In the Arkansas River it has gone away entirely. Baseflow in the Arkansas officially begins at Great Bend; above, there is nothing in the riverbed except ephemeral runoff."
June 11, 2016
Though I've lived in the moist-and-lush South most of my adult life, I've always had a reverence for water because I grew up on the dry plains of eastern Colorado. No rivers. No ponds or lakes. Just yucca and sagebrush. The only water source comes from the Ogallala aquifer, beneath the land, and that is rapidly being depleted and poisoned by farming-related nitrates. Hydrologists aren't even sure if there will be enough water for the second half of this century.
I've told my daughter that, in her lifetime, her generation will see relocations or liquidations of entire communities....tiny little towns and maybe even more-populated places like 'Vegas. There must be water, of course, to sustain life, and if there is no surface water available ...
Still, several people in my hometown of Burlington water their bluegrass daily. There's no talk of water conservation at all, no incentives for installing anything like water-efficient toilets or efficient shower heads.
I suspect, with sadness, that some day the High Plains will revert to barren grasslands and desert.
Where's Aqua Man when we need him?
I've told my daughter that, in her lifetime, her generation will see relocations or liquidations of entire communities....tiny little towns and maybe even more-populated places like 'Vegas. There must be water, of course, to sustain life, and if there is no surface water available ...
Still, several people in my hometown of Burlington water their bluegrass daily. There's no talk of water conservation at all, no incentives for installing anything like water-efficient toilets or efficient shower heads.
I suspect, with sadness, that some day the High Plains will revert to barren grasslands and desert.
Where's Aqua Man when we need him?
January 3, 2010
I'm reading this non-fiction at the same time as another book...it's all about a dwindling natural resource in an area I grew up. A wake up call for me...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2018
This is a great account of the Ogallala Aquifer -- its people, history (both social and geological) and its role in shaping the American landscape. There's an ordered beauty to these plains, but that beauty is under threat by overdevelopment and overpumping. This area is only 5 percent of the land area of the US, but accounts for 30 percent of irrigated agriculture and 40 percent of beef. Should we continue to pump out as much water as we can -- practices that are encouraged with outdated Rule of Capture laws in Texas -- pretty soon we will face a shortage in this breadbasket of America.
September 23, 2019
Very well done overview
August 10, 2025
This was intensely interesting and educational and quite challenging for someone with an extremely limited amount of background knowledge on the subject.
September 16, 2010
I have a thirst--pun intended--for books about the politics of water and water policy. I came across this book thinking it might enlighten me both about the pressures faced by the Ogallala Aquifer, and about water in the Midwest. This book came through on the first count, but did not on the second. And, the writing just seemed to drift towards the end, with no real conclusion, until, gradually...it ended.
My summer 2010 reading is now concluded--with Fall looming, it is back to the graduate school books.
My summer 2010 reading is now concluded--with Fall looming, it is back to the graduate school books.
February 6, 2017
Very detailed . Now the question is , do I sell the farm?
Wow so interesting thanks for the research !
Wow so interesting thanks for the research !
July 12, 2009
For a girl raised on the High Plains this was riveting reading!
Ashworth journeys through the High Plains on a quest to unravel the tangled conundrum of water and life there. Featured is the Ogallala Aquifer--the finite source of this arid region's water.
Along the way the reader will gain an understanding and appreciation for the geography, topography, and history of the High Plains as well as a sense of its beauty.
Ashworth journeys through the High Plains on a quest to unravel the tangled conundrum of water and life there. Featured is the Ogallala Aquifer--the finite source of this arid region's water.
Along the way the reader will gain an understanding and appreciation for the geography, topography, and history of the High Plains as well as a sense of its beauty.
July 6, 2015
Should be required reading for everyone who lives on the Plains. One of those rare popular science-type books that is both informative and entertaining. Even though this is about 10 years old, it is still extremely timely. I live on the Republican River (for someone from Back East it looks more like a creek) and everything he writes about is as true today as it was when written. Water wars are here.
August 6, 2011
Not bad. I think it dragged on a bit, but the mix of personal travelogue-type stories with raw research and fact was fantastic. I wouldn't call it riveting, but it kept the book going (rare to see anymore). Well written, and a wonderful history of Plains farming and ag--this will be an essential text for the book I'm writing on Oklahoma and Kansas settlement.
August 4, 2014
I learned a LOT about the Ogallala aquifer from this very well researched book. The author puts real faces and real situations on the challenges and addresses how they affect each other. Somehow, he lost me, though. The book is about 300 pages and 200 would have been enough for me.
September 4, 2009
Don't worry about running out of oil, worry about running out of water...
April 27, 2010
The water is running out
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews