Water is a vital resource for agricultural crop production in the Texas Panhandle. This semi-arid region relies almost solely on the Ogallala Aquifer as the primary source of water. Agricultural production dominates water use in the area and is projected to account for 92% of total water use by 2020. Since agriculture is such an essential sector of the regional economy, prolonging irrigation capability through improvements in crop production methods is warranted. The area of concern and evaluation in this study consists of Texas’ northernmost 21 counties where groundwater withdrawal rates continue to exceed the aquifer’s recharge rate, resulting in less available irrigation resources. Within the region, seven counties in the Panhandle Water Planning Area of Texas are projected to incur water shortages in the 2020–2070 planning horizon. A regional analysis evaluating several agricultural water conservation strategies and combinations to address the decline of water use in the region is presented. The analysis examines potential water savings and implementation costs associated with the alternative strategies to provide useful information to stakeholders such as producers, groundwater conservation districts, and regional water planning groups.

中文翻译：

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分析德克萨斯州狭长地带的潜在节水策略

水是德克萨斯州狭长地带农作物生产的重要资源。这个半干旱地区几乎完全依赖奥加拉拉含水层作为主要水源。农业生产在该地区的用水量中占主导地位，预计到 2020 年将占总用水量的 92%。由于农业是区域经济的重要部门，因此有必要通过改进作物生产方法来延长灌溉能力。本研究中关注和评估的领域包括德克萨斯州最北部的 21 个县，这些县的地下水抽取率继续超过含水层的补给率，导致可用灌溉资源减少。在该地区，德克萨斯州潘汉德尔水资源规划区的七个县预计在 2020-2070 年规划范围内会出现水资源短缺。介绍了一项区域分析，评估了几种农业节水战略和组合，以解决该地区用水量下降的问题。该分析检查了与替代策略相关的潜在节水和实施成本，以为生产者、地下水保护区和区域水资源规划小组等利益相关者提供有用的信息。