Sustainable rates of groundwater withdrawal in Oregon’s Harney Basin were surpassed 20 years prior to the time declining groundwater levels were generally recognized, a new analysis found.
Sustainable rates of groundwater withdrawal in Oregon’s Harney Basin were surpassed 20 years prior to the time declining groundwater levels were generally recognized, a new analysis found.
That lag in realizing the impact of groundwater use is just one insight from a new study linking farm economics and groundwater hydrology in the Harney Basin. Oregon State University economists and a U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist developed the model of interactions and feedback between farm irrigation decisions and groundwater levels to better understand the causes and potential solutions to the decline in groundwater.
“Groundwater is challenging to manage because it is hidden below ground and poorly understood,” said William Jaeger, a professor of applied economics at Oregon State. “It’s frequently extracted at unsustainable rates because, without effective regulation, individual water users have an incentive to act without considering impacts on others. This can lead to negative effects on all water users and the environment.”
Read More: Oregon State University
