Irrigated Agriculture Land-Use Study: Ogallala Formation - southern High Plains
Objective:
Determine the occurrence and distribution of water-quality
constituents in recently recharged ground water beneath
long-term irrigated cotton fields in the southern High Plains
aquifer (Ogallala Formation).
Approach:
The boundaries of the study area were selected using a recently
produced irrigated lands map. Potential well sites were randomly
located within this delineated area and where depth to water is
less than 200 feet (see map). Thirty monitoring wells will be installed
that are screened within 15 feet of the water table. Each well
will be sampled once for a suite of chemical constituents.
Timing:
Drilling begins March, 2001; sampling to begin in April, 2003.
Targeted Constituents:
Physical parameters, major ions, nutrients, trace elements,
pesticides, dissolved organic carbon, tritium, and nitrogen
isotopes.
