OSU Assists in the Search for Sustainable Irrigation Solutions
Thursday, November 13, 2025
At current rates, certain areas of the Ogallala Aquifer are estimated to run dry in the next 30 years.
It’s a daunting dilemma for producers who rely on the aquifer, a body of underground sand and gravel that is porous enough to transmit and store groundwater.
But it’s a problem Oklahoma State University, along with Kansas State University, Texas Tech University, California State University and NASA are attempting to solve.
Through grant funding from the USDA Agriculture & Food Research Initiative’s Sustainable Agricultural Systems (SatRAP) Program, a transdisciplinary, five-year project kicked off this year, aiming to develop water-smart production systems.
“The ultimate goal is to sustain the Ogallala Aquifer and similar aquifers in the region,” said Dr. Kevin Wagner, director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Center at OSU.