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Listen Most Colorado cities and farms get water from Rocky Mountain snowmelt. Not in northeastern Colorado. This food producing powerhouse depends in an ancient underground reservoir called the Ogallala. The Ogallala has been slowly accumulating water for thousands of years, but modern farmers and towns pump so much that this "timeless" aquifer is starting to run out. Someday in the not-so-distant future, Ogallala reliant towns may have to curtail crops, and some farm towns might become ghost towns. For Connecting the Drops, Shelley Schlender reports. |
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Pair Sound with Sight
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| Weaning cattle in a feedlot near Wray. |
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| A conveyor belt loads potatoes, grown with Ogallala water. |
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| Deb Daniel of the Republican River Water Conservation District leads efforts to sustain the Ogallala. |
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| A fall potato harvest near Wray. |
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| A center-pivot sprinkler taps the Ogallala to irrigate what would otherwise be dry land. |
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| Tim Pautler farms on the Ogallala's edge, using dryland farming techniques. |
Take the Next Step: Read & Get Involved
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Connecting the Drops Partners
Connecting the Drops is a radio collaboration between the Colorado Foundation for Water Education and Colorado Community Radio Stations KGNU, KDNK and KRCC.
Support for 2016 programming comes from CoBank
