Keystone Pipeline Case Study

Nebraska has more groundwater than any other state. The Ogallala Aquifer underlies about 174,000 miles of the High Plains. In some places it can get up to 1,000 feet deep. It spans across eight states, including South Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas. It is being pumped by close to 200,000 irrigation wells. This water is so important to American Agriculture. It helps hydrate America, so think what would happen if it were to run out?
Even though ground water is a renewable resource, It is a very slow process to replenish the water. Were the Aquifer to be completely drained it would take over 6,000 years to refill. Since 1976 it has dropped about one foot annually, which balances out to be about 325 gallons per year. Should it run out impact would be devastating on watering our food supply, creating a problem that the United States is not prepared for and hasn’t experienced since the Great Depression in the 1930’s . Intense and severe hunger. Experts say that within 50 years the Ogallala will be gone if we keep depleting it at the rapid pace we have
Supposing that it reaches groundwater it would contaminate our drinking water, water that sustains our livestock and our irrigation water. The worst case scenario would be that it would contaminate the Sand Hills region and pollute 4.9 billion gallons of groundwater with oil spreading as far as 40 feet thick as well as 500 feet wide and 50 miles long. Many claim that even if there were to be a leak that it would not reach the ogallala due to the layers upon layers of rock, sand and soil that naturally protect it. Others say that in some places it would still be too close to the groundwater and even possibly be put through the water so that even with its natural protection it would still be extremely vulnerable and would not be worth the risk so therefore the possibilities are too serious to be counted