Stocking up for the big flood...

[NickB79]

24. Me too. That's why I want the Great Plains restored to native prairie and used for ranching again

Not much need for irrigation when prairie grasses send roots down 20 feet.

But yeah, it's inevitable that the Ogallalla aquifer will fail, probably within the next 50 years. It could be sooner, though, as climate change will be creating hotter, drier conditions across the Plains states that will require heavier watering needs.

The problem is, we need to start transitioning away from conventional plow-and-irrigate farming before the rains start to fail and the aquifers spit dust, or there won't be enough moisture to give native prairie species the 3-5 years they need to germinate, become established and drought-resistant.