Groundwater is the predominant source of water for the 7,969 thousand acres of irrigated agriculture in Texas [5, p. 4.5]. Over 65 percent of Texas' irrigated acreage is watered from the Ogallala formation of the Texas High Plains. As opposed to conditions in other aquifers, the Ogallala does not receive appreciable recharge. Although the aquifer underlies virtually all of the 28,125 square mile High Plains land area, in many areas the aquifer is relatively thin (less than 100 feet) and in all areas the underlying water supply is expected to be exhausted in the foreseeable future. The average annual decline of the water table underlying irrigated acres of the High Plains has been approximately 3.5 feet.

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