Download or read book The Impact of Climate Change on the Effectiveness of Water Conservation Policies in Western Kansas and the Ogallala Aquifer written by Pedro Vicente Garay Armoa and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Water scarcity is already a critical issue in many regions across the world and in many places water supplies are likely to be further threatened by climate change (Bates et al., 2008). Climate change will affect water availability in these areas both directly and indirectly. The direct effects come about because increased temperature (accompanied by changes in wind, humidity, and solar radiation) may increase evaporative losses from surface water bodies, and also because reduced precipitation lowers the rate of water inflows. In the case of groundwater, these factors will reduce the rate of aquifer recharge (Bates et al., 2008). The indirect effects arise from the biophysical impacts of climate change on vegetation, which are induced from rising temperatures, changing precipitation regimes, and increased atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. As a result of climate change, significant changes are expected in the hydrological cycle. This research is focused in how climate change can affect crop, land, and water allocation over time. The specific issue of this research comes from the following question: Is climate change likely to have a significant impact on the effectiveness of different water conservation policies in the High Plains aquifer region? This study is focused on the American High Plains, one of the most important water-scarce agricultural regions in North America. The study region for this research is a 31-county area overlying the Ogallala aquifer in western Kansas. This region encompasses approximately the western third of Kansas. Across these counties, the estimated remaining usable lifetime for aquifer water ranges from 50 to over 200 years (KGS), representing the range of water available in various parts of the aquifer. A Positive Mathematical Programming (PMP) model (Howitt, 1995) was developed and calibrated to land- and water-use data in the thirty one county area for a base period of 2000-2008. The PMP simulation uses inputs of price conditions and the aquifer level in a given year to predict the acreages planted to each of the major crops and the water use by crop. Decision makers are assumed to maximize profits, given the limited availability of water and arable land. The major crops in the model include wheat, corn, sorghum, soybeans, and alfalfa; the vast majority of historical planted acreage in the case counties is comprised of these five crops. The model was run for each of the case regions after calibrating the PMP model to data from 2000-2008. Calibration ensures that the model predictions fall within a small tolerance of the base period observations. This step avoids the problem of over-specialization (where the model places all of the acreages under one or two of the most profitable crops), and gives realistic acres and water use figures with which to work. The results suggest that the effects of the use of water conservation policies such as water use restriction and permanent conversion to dryland crops have positive effects on the trends of the different variables studied. With the implementation of these two policies, lower levels of total water use and higher levels of saturated thickness result but with a consequence of lower levels of net returns. However, the positive effects are lower in almost all cases if the effects of climate change on the same policies are taken into consideration. The scenarios of higher levels of temperature and lower precipitation levels projected for the region imply a greater demand for water for irrigated crops that results in lower levels of saturated thickness and simultaneously lower levels of net returns.
Download or read book Economic Impacts of Selected Water Conservation Policies in the Ogallala Aquifer written by Stephen Harold Amosson and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Essays on Optimal Extraction of Groundwater in Western Kansas written by Nicolas Efrain Quintana Ashwell and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The two studies presented in this dissertation examine incentives for groundwater extraction and their resulting effect on aquifer depletion. Both studies apply dynamic optimization methods in a context of irrigated agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions such as in western Kansas. The first study examines the effects of capital subsidies aimed at increasing irrigation application efficiency. The second study examines the effects of changing incentives posed by changes in climatic patterns and by technical progress in the form of increasing crop water productivity. Both studies have significant policy and groundwater management implications. Subsidies for the adoption of (more) efficient irrigation technologies are commonly proposed and enacted with the goal of achieving water conservation. These subsidies are more politically feasible than water taxes or water use restrictions. The reasoning behind this type of policy is that increased application efficiency makes it possible to sustain a given level of crop production per acre with lower levels of groundwater pumping, all else equal. Previous literature argues that adoption of more efficient irrigation systems may not reduce groundwater extraction. Rewarding the acquisition of more efficient --and capital intensive-- irrigation equipment affects the incentives farmers have to pump groundwater. For instance, the farmer may choose to produce more valuable and water intensive crops or to expand the irrigated acreage after adopting the more efficient irrigation system. Hence, the actual impact of the policy on overall groundwater extraction and related aquifer depletion is unclear. The first chapter examines the effects of such irrigation technology subsidies using a model of inter-temporal common pool groundwater use with substitutable technology and declining well-yields from groundwater stocks, where pumping cost and stock externalities arise from the common property problem. An optimal control analytical model is developed and simulated with parameters from Sheridan County, Kansas--a representative region overlying the Ogallala aquifer. The study contrasts competitive and optimal allocations and accounts for endogenous and time-varying irrigation capital on water use and groundwater stock. The analysis is the first to account for the labor savings from improved irrigation technologies. The results show that in the absence of policy intervention, the competitive solution yields an early period with underinvestment in efficiency-improving irrigation technology relative to the socially efficient solution, followed by a period of over-investment. This suggests a potential role for irrigation capital subsidies to improve welfare over certain ranges of the state variables. In contrast to previous work, the findings are evidence that significant returns may be achieved from irrigation capital subsidies. Finally, a policy scenario is simulated where an irrigation technology subsidy is implemented to explore whether such a program can capture significant portions of the potential welfare gain. Results indicate that the technology subsidy can improve welfare, but it captures a relatively small portion of the potential gains in welfare. The second chapter presents a dynamic model of groundwater extraction for irrigation where climate change and technical progress are included as exogenous state variables-- in addition to the usual state variable of the stock of groundwater. The key contributions of this study are (i) an intuitive description of the conditions under which groundwater extraction can be non-monotonic, (ii) a numerical demonstration that extraction is non-monotonic in an important region overlying the Ogallala Aquifer, and (iii) the predicted gains from management are substantially larger after accounting for climate and technical change. Intuitively, optimal extraction is increasing in early periods when the marginal benefits of extraction are increasing sufficiently fast due to climate and technical change compared to the increase in the marginal cost of extraction. In contrast, most previous studies include the stock of groundwater as the only state variable and, consequently, recommend a monotonically decreasing extraction path. In this study, the numerical simulations for a region in Kansas overlying the Ogallala Aquifer indicate that optimal groundwater extraction peaks 23 years in the future and the gains from management are large (29.5%). Consistent with previous literature, the predicted gains from management are relatively small (6.1%) when ignoring climate and technical change. The realized gains from management are not substantially impacted by incorrect assumptions of climate and technical change when formulating the optimal plan.
Download or read book Ogallala written by John Opie and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2000-01-01 with total page 508 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this new, enlarged edition, John Opie updates his groundbreaking work on the environmental history of the Ogallala aquifer and plains farming. He addresses the impact of the 1996 Farm Bill (Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act) and looks at the recent movement of industrial hog farming onto the plains. Opie also develops his argument for the plains as a ?moral geography,? a view involving the recognition by society that it has an obligation to balance the responsibility for conserving natural resources with that for keeping a regional people?the family farmers?in operation.
Download or read book Effects of High Commodity Prices on Western Kansas Crop Patterns and the Ogallala Aquifer written by Matthew Ken Clark and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The expansion of the biofuels industry, world demand, and various other factors are having a historic impact on the price of grains. These high prices have been creating a large increase in production of many water intensive crops such as corn. As corn is among the most input-intensive crops, this extra production has raised concerns about environmental impacts and pressures on water resources in particular. While water quality has been a longstanding concern in the cornbelt, much of the new production is in nontraditional corn regions including the southeast, the High Plains, and the western states. In these areas, there is mounting concern over depletion of already stressed water supplies. In the High Plains, the chief water source is the Ogallala aquifer, one of the largest water resources in the world that underlies eight states from South Dakota to Texas. The Ogallala has enabled many agricultural industries, such as irrigated crops, cattle feeding, and meat processing, to establish themselves in areas that would not be possible otherwise. A consequence is that the economy of this region has become dependent on groundwater availability. Continued overdrafts of the aquifer have caused a long-term drop in water levels and some areas have now reached effective depletion. This thesis seeks to estimate the impact of the rising commodity prices on groundwater consumption and cropping patterns in the Kansas portion of the Ogallala. The economy of this region is particularly dependent on water and irrigated crops, with more than 3 million head of feeder cattle and irrigated crop revenues exceeding $600 million annually. Sheridan (northwestern Kansas), Seward (southwestern Kansas), and Scott (west central Kansas) counties have been selected as representative case study regions. These counties have a wide range of aquifer levels with Seward having an abundant supply, Sheridan an intermediate supply, and Scott nearing effective depletion. Cropping patterns in these counties are typical of the western Kansas region, with most irrigated acreage being planted to corn and with dominant nonirrigated rotations of wheat-fallow and wheat-sorghum-fallow. A Positive Mathematical Programming (PMP) model was developed and calibrated to land- and water-use data in the case counties for a base period of 1999-2003. The PMP approach produces a constrained nonlinear optimization model that mimics the land- and water- allocation decision facing producers each year. The choice variables in the model are the acreages planted to each of the major crops and the water use by crop. The model was run for each of the case counties. The PMP calibration procedure ensures that the model solutions fall within a small tolerance of the base period observations. Once calibrated, the models were executed to simulate the impacts of the emerging energy demand for crops over a 60-year period. After the baseline projections were found, the model was then run under increased crop prices that reflect the higher prices observed in 2006 and after. The thesis found that under the high price scenario, both irrigated crop production and water application per acre increased significantly during the early years of the simulated period in all modeled counties. The size of the increases depended on the amount of original water available in each county. The increases generally diminished in magnitude toward the end of the simulation period, but led to smaller ending levels of saturated thickness as compared to the base price in all counties. Finally, in two of the three counties, it was observed that initial increases in irrigated crop acres and water application forces a decline in the aquifer such that less water can be applied per acre in the final years of the simulation. This suggests that high commodity prices forces a higher emphasis on early production levels than later production levels. Additionally, the higher prices have a significant effect on the rate of decline of the Ogallala aquifer.
Download or read book Water Conservation Decision making by Producers on the Ogallala Aquifer written by Rebekah Carnes and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study investigates the roles of values, beliefs, and norms in water conservation decisions made by producers on the Ogallala Aquifer, in order to better understand the motivating factors that could lead toward environmental sustainability in this region of groundwater depletion. I focus on an over-arching question: how do farmers make decisions regarding water conservation? This question is broken into two specific sub-questions. First, how does culture affect decision-making? How do farmers' beliefs, values, political ideologies, and education influence their concern for the environment, measured by the extent to which they elevate guiding principles such as "respecting the earth, harmony with other species, protecting the environment, preserving nature, unity with nature, and fitting in with nature"? Secondly, how does the climate, and potentially climate change, affect the attitudes that prompt and justify decisions? This research relies on data from the 2019 Ogallala Producer Survey, and Climate data from the USGS in corresponding counties, and examines these questions through a series of regression models.
Download or read book The Water Problem written by Pat Mulroy and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2017-03-28 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Building water resilience is the single biggest challenge in a changing global climate. The United States faces a water crisis as critical as the energy crisis that once dominated headlines. Like the energy crisis, a solution can be found. Pat Mulroy, for many years general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the lead negotiator on the Colorado River for the State of Nevada, and a Brookings fellow, has gathered a number of practitioners and scholars to show us why we face a crisis caused by climate change and what we can do to alleviate it. While the focus recently has been on California, with its water restrictions and drought, many other parts of the United States are also suffering from current and potential water shortages that will only be exacerbated by climate change. The Water Problem takes us to Miami and the problem of rising oceans fouling freshwater reservoirs; Kansas and Nebraska, where intensive farming is draining age-old aquifers; and to the Southwest United States, where growing populations are creating enormous stresses on the already strained Colorado River. Mulroy and her contributors explore not just the problems, but also what we can do now to put in place measures to deal with a very real crisis.
Download or read book Covering More Ground with Soil and Water Conservation in Kansas written by and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 4 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Climate Change and Water Resources Management written by Levi D. Brekke and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2009-11 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many challenges, including climate change, face the Nation¿s water managers. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has provided estimates of how climate may change, but more understanding of the processes driving the changes, the sequences of the changes, and the manifestation of these global changes at different scales could be beneficial. Since the changes will likely affect fundamental drivers of the hydrological cycle, climate change may have a large impact on water resources and water resources managers. The purpose of this interagency report is to explore strategies to improve water management by tracking, anticipating, and responding to climate change. Charts and tables.
Download or read book Conserving the Ogallala written by David E. Kromm and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer Water Reserves in Western Kansas written by Kurt W. Davis and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Ogallala Aquifer written by Mary Fund and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Kansas Water Plan written by Kansas Water Office and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Climate Variability and Water Dependent Sectors written by Dannele E. Peck and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-02-22 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Demand for water in agricultural, municipal, industrial, and environmental uses is growing. More frequent and severe extreme weather conditions now exacerbate water shortages in many locations and existing infrastructure to store and release water rarely has the capacity to both prevent floods during wet periods and meet demand during drought periods. Competition among sectors adds pressure not only on water infrastructure, but also on management policies and allocation institutions. This book of contributed chapters assesses the performance of existing infrastructure, institutions and policies under different climate variability scenarios. It also provides suggestions for minimizing conflict over scarce water resources. More flexible water-allocation institutions and management policies, and better tools for decision-making under uncertainty will be required to maximize society’s net benefit from less reliable water resources. The chapters show how incentives for individuals to conserve water, and policies for helping vulnerable populations prepare for and recover from extreme events, will also need to be improved. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research.
Download or read book Kansas Water Quality Management Plan as Adopted by the Kansas Legislature written by Kansas. Department of Health and Environment. Water Quality Management Section and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This plan outlines and prices a 20-year strategy for protecting the quality of ground and surface waters. In meeting the requirements of Section 208 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972, the plan considers all significant pollution sources including municipal and industrial discharge, agricultural runoff, urban stormwater runoff, mining activities, construction activities, natural salt water intrusion, and residual wastes such as water and wastewater treatment sludges.
Download or read book Perspectives on Sustainable Development of Water Resources in Kansas written by and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Assessment of Water Level Decline Rates Within the Ogallala Aquifer Kansas written by Kansas Water Office and published by . This book was released on 2003* with total page 9 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By 2010, reduce water level decline rates within the Ogallala Aquifer and implement enhanced water management in targeted areas. ... The above objective is included in the Water Right Management Policy Section of the FY 2003 Kansas Water Plan.
