America’s Breadbasket Is Running Out Of Water

It sounds almost like science fiction, but it’s true: The farmers in America’s breadbasket – the region that feeds not only the nation but the world – are literally running out of water for their crops.

That’s because the source they’ve depended on for decades – the Ogallala Aquifer – is dangerously close to going dry. Combine that with drought conditions, and you have a disaster.

As NBC News put it, “billions could starve.”

It’s the subject of this week’s Off The Grid Radio, as we discuss an under-the-radar issue that could become the story of the century with Venki Uddameri, director of the Water Resources Center at Texas Tech University, which has released a major study on the aquifer which covers eight states.

From Texas to Nebraska to South Dakota, farms that have tilled the land for decades may be forced to close. Uddameri tells us:

• The latest estimates on the amount of water left in the aquifer.
• Why rainfall won’t solve the problem.
• What solutions may be available.
• Why the laws in some states have made the problem only worse.

Said one scientist of the problem: “We’re headed for a brick wall at 100 miles per hour.” After you listen to Venki, you’ll likely agree.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:35 — 22.4MB)