농부 및 농장주들이 수질을 향상시키고 수십 갤런의 물을 보호하도록 돕기 위해 미국 농무부(USDA)가 오갈라라 대수층(Ogallala Aquifer)지역에 올해 650만 달러를 투자한다. 기금은 일곱 곳의 우선지역에 나누어져 각 지역의 최우선 수자원을 지원하고 지역경제를 강화하는 데 쓰일 예정이다.

여덟 개의 주에 걸쳐 있는 그레이트 플레인스(Great Plains) 아래에 있는 오갈라라는 미국 내 생산되는 밀, 옥수수, 목화, 소의 약 5분의 1을 생산하는 지역으로, 오랫동안 하이 플레인스(High Plains) 인구에 주된 수자원이 되어 왔으며, 현재는 지속불가능한 속도로 고갈되고 있다.

 

 

 

In an effort to help farmers and ranchers conserve billions of gallons of water and improve water quality, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $6.5 million in the Ogallala Aquifer region this year. Funding will be targeted to seven priority areas to support their primary water source and strengthen rural economies.

 

Underlying the Great Plains in eight states, the Ogallala supports nearly one-fifth of the wheat, corn, cotton, and cattle produced in the United States. It has long been the main water supply for the High Plains' population and is being depleted at an unsustainable rate. The reservoir covers about 174,000 square miles, mainly in Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. The aquifer also covers part of South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.

 

Through the Ogallala Aquifer Initiative (OAI), USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is directing funding in fiscal year 2015 to support targeted, local efforts to improve the quality and availability of this vital water supply. This year's work is planned in seven priority areas in five states and will continue for up to four years.

 

Moreover, it will conserve billions of gallons of water per year, extending the viability of the aquifer for multiple uses. This conservation investment builds on $66 million that NRCS has invested through OAI since 2011, which helped farmers and ranchers conserve water on more than 325,000 acres. Much of the funding invested by USDA has been matched or supplemented by individual producers.

 

[출처 = Water World / 2015년 5월 14일]