what happens when water is withdrawn from an aquifer faster than it can be recharged

Pumping groundwater faster than it can recharge can lead to dry wells, especially during droughts.

What is a farming technique that reduces runoff

'Rationing' fertilizers and making sure that there are plants surrounding bodies of water to hold the soil in place. The key is maintaining root systems.

What is an effective alternative to using aquifers

Alternative water is water supplied by sustainable sources that can be used to help offset the use of fresh surface water and groundwater (such as lakes).

Main content

Course: AP®︎/College Environmental science > Unit 4

Lesson 2: Effects of land and water use I

Aquifer withdrawal and recharge

Google Classroom

Review your understanding of aquifer withdrawal and recharge in this free article aligned to AP standards.

Key points

An aquifer is an underground layer of porous rock and sediment that contains groundwater. Aquifers are an important source of fresh water for drinking and crop irrigation.
Groundwater recharge is the process by which water from precipitation percolates through the soil and makes its way into an aquifer, filling it up. Because groundwater tends to move slowly through soil and rock, aquifers may recharge slowly. For example, certain types of aquifers may take thousands of years to recharge.
Aquifers offer a relatively low-cost source of water for residential and agricultural needs. However, taking water from aquifers on a large scale is unsustainable because the rate of withdrawal often outpaces the rate of recharge. Over time, this can lead to overuse and depletion.
The Ogallala aquifer is the largest aquifer in the United States, stretching about 174,000 square miles (450,000 square kilometers). The Ogallala aquifer is the principal source of irrigation water for eight U.S. states. Intensive agricultural irrigation is draining the Ogallala aquifer faster than rainfall can recharge it. So, there is a risk that the aquifer could disappear by the end of this century.
A large fraction of irrigation water withdrawn from the Ogallala is lost to evaporation and runoff. So, farming practices that conserve water can help protect this important resource.

Withdrawal of water from the Ogallala aquifer is outpacing recharge. Image credit: “Ogallala changes in feet 1980-1995 USGS" by USGS, Public domain.

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charam9742
Posted 2 years ago. Direct link to charam9742's post “what happens when water i...”
what happens when water is withdrawn from an aquifer
faster than it can be recharged
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- GGatorZ21
  Posted 2 years ago. Direct link to GGatorZ21's post “Pumping groundwater faste...”
  Pumping groundwater faster than it can recharge can lead to dry wells, especially during droughts.
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  (5 votes)
abicoo201
Posted a year ago. Direct link to abicoo201's post “What is a farming techniq...”
What is a farming technique that reduces runoff
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- Animalia
  Posted a year ago. Direct link to Animalia's post “'Rationing' fertilizers a...”
  'Rationing' fertilizers and making sure that there are plants surrounding bodies of water to hold the soil in place.
  The key is maintaining root systems.
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  (6 votes)
jb268536
Posted a year ago. Direct link to jb268536's post “How is the climate diffre...”
How is the climate diffrent.
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BenjaminS
Posted 2 years ago. Direct link to BenjaminS's post “What is an effective alte...”
What is an effective alternative to using aquifers
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- GGatorZ21
  Posted 2 years ago. Direct link to GGatorZ21's post “Alternative water is wate...”
  Alternative water is water supplied by sustainable sources that can be used to help offset the use of fresh surface water and groundwater (such as lakes).
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  (3 votes)
kaelyn.cheney24
Posted a year ago. Direct link to kaelyn.cheney24's post “What are farming practice...”
What are farming practices that conserve water or prevent depletion of the aquifer? -- "aquifers offer a relatively low-cost source of water for residential and agricultural needs" -- Why are prices not increased to decrease competition for water in the aquifer?
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(4 votes)
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- Hermione Granger
  Posted 4 months ago. Direct link to Hermione Granger's post “Because they're being nic...”
  Because they're being nice.
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  (1 vote)
joser1176
Posted a year ago. Direct link to joser1176's post “what do the colors mean”
what do the colors mean
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- Aymaan A
  Posted 4 months ago. Direct link to Aymaan A's post “The changes in level in t...”
  The changes in level in the aquifer
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KrisleneM
Posted 2 years ago. Direct link to KrisleneM's post “How much water is availab...”
How much water is available in aquifers and at what rate do we consume(use up) the water in these underground reservoirs? How does this compare to the amount available in them?
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(2 votes)
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dulcekrys
Posted 6 months ago. Direct link to dulcekrys's post “If water is being overuse...”
If water is being overused, woudn't the solution be reducing human population?
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- joshua
  Posted 6 months ago. Direct link to joshua's post “Theoretically it is indee...”
  Theoretically it is indeed a solution. But since reducing human population is, well, illegal? We have to resort to other solutions.
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  (1 vote)
Free, Braeden
Posted 3 months ago. Direct link to Free, Braeden's post “Are there different types...”
Are there different types of aquifers?
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- Kiran Patel
  Posted 2 months ago. Direct link to Kiran Patel's post “Yes! These are the differ...”
  Yes! These are the different types in North America (click on the link to discover this!): https://waterwelljournal.com/aquifer-types-of-north-america/
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Spencer Norris
Posted 23 days ago. Direct link to Spencer Norris's post “Why are the central parts...”
Why are the central parts of the states have the most amount of water level change"?
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