Book Review - Ogallala Blue by William Ashworth

Review by Chad Smith

Ogallala Blue: Water and Life on the High Plains
William Ashworth

Growing up in Dawson County, Neb., the Platte River was all I knew about water. The shifting sand, shallow water and proliferating trees defined my awareness of water in Nebraska. If I only knew then what I know now about the “phantom reservoir” beneath my feet the whole time.

William Ashworth’s Ogallala Blue is the kind of book that I wish I would have stumbled on earlier. The book is somewhat a travelogue of Ashworth’s time in the vast region of the Great Plains that overtops the seemingly more vast Ogallala aquifer underlying a major chunk of those Plains. It is also a good primer on the condition of the aquifer today, its tenuous future, and the ways in which the Ogallala is intertwined in the lives of those of us that live here, much like my beloved Platte.

The title of the book itself is a play on words: The aquifer’s water is blue; some say the Ogallala is suffering from the “blues” of over use; and the aquifer lies under skies that probably more truly live up to the phrase “Big Sky Country.”

Ashworth begins with a story of the conquistador Coronado’s time above the Ogallala, a story that might well have been a foreshadowing of the conflicts that pervade western water issues and the tug-and-pull between surface water and groundwater use.

The importance of the Ogallala cannot be overstated, and Ashworth quickly brings the reader’s attention to this. He sets the stage well for linking underground water to all aspects of life in the region. Ashworth clearly suggests that various uses have stressed the Ogallala aquifer, but rightly points out that there is nothing really wrong with pumping—we need water for many purposes, and the Ogallala is major supply source.

Early in the book, Ashworth writes with some subdued lyricism about the role of water in daily life, the way water exists and moves underground, and what kind of terrain overtops the aquifer. This proves to be a good way to talk about water, especially underground water in a semi-arid region once called the “Great American Desert.” He largely engages in descriptive writing that is educational without being onerous.

The book does a good job of providing a synopsis of how the Ogallala reaches across several states. It is important to understand the size and scope of the aquifer to get a true sense for how many people and places that the Ogallala touches, and Ashworth describes it well.

Ultimately, water issues are not about water but are instead people issues. Ashworth focuses on the human story through his writing, which is the best way to truly understand the Ogallala aquifer, the region and water issues generally. The book is filled with several vignettes from his travels in basin, and this proves to be a good way to tell stories that illustrate messages about the importance of the Ogallala, its current health, and what the future holds. As a Nebraska resident, this kind of approach helped me break away from my particular perspective and learn a little more about the rest of the region.

Agriculture and the Ogallala aquifer are intertwined, and Ashworth does not shrink from this. He discusses the prevalence of agriculture in the region and its reliance on groundwater without being overly critical. Ogallala Blue seems to embody a realization for both the author and the reader that agriculture is critical to the survival of the Ogallala aquifer region, and that we have to understand the impacts agricultural use has on the aquifer and how best to deal with those impacts.

In this regard, the book would benefit from a broader discussion of other drains on the aquifer, including municipal use and development, as well as the interplay between surface and groundwater and how that interaction is at the heart of much of modern water policy challenges.

Ashworth does take the time to provide important detail on aquifer pollution. This issue tends to get lost in the “quantity” shuffle that drives much of the discussion about water management in this part of the work, so the book’s mention of quality issues is a welcome addition.

Law and legal issues are intertwined in all things water, and Ashworth presents a good section on some of the basics without getting too tangled in the intricacies. The policy and legal discussion starts to get a little dry (hard in a water book!), but that is driven largely by the reality of how such issues play out.

Of course, in Nebraska, you cannot talk about the Ogallala aquifer without spending time with Jim Goeke, so it is good to see that Ashworth has woven Goeke’s wisdom, humor and honesty throughout the pages of Blue.

The story of “Frank Zybach’s circles” and the rise of center pivot irrigation is a critical piece of Ogallala aquifer history that Blue does not leave out. Ashworth provides a compelling synopsis of how center pivot irrigation began and how it has impacted the health of the aquifer, though this portion of the book would have benefited from more stories from farmers and those tied most closely to water use.

Ashworth also takes a good step in the book by touching on possible alternative uses of groundwater. This helps the reader begin to think about the future and how to blend traditional agricultural use with other actions that provided economic benefit and support the long-term health of the Ogallala aquifer.

Blue’s treatment of the Republican River and the multi-state struggle over water in that basin do provide a strong example toward the end of the book of how water issues involving groundwater are now driving public policy discussions, budget allocations and neighborly relations between states in the region. This is an issue for interested readers to follow in the future.

Ashworth may have missed a few good interviews in the region, like Susan Seacrest with the Groundwater Foundation and others that have long experience on water issues. And Blue may be a little pessimistic about the future of the Ogallala aquifer.

But overall Ogallala Blue is a good overview of the status of the Ogallala aquifer and the key issues that critical water supply faces. The book is not necessarily for the tried-and-true water engineer, manager or advocate, but it does serve as a good source for some of the history and modern-day developments that have affected the aquifer and what the future holds for that “phantom reservoir.”

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