Water supply from the Ogallala Aquifer is running out.

From the US Geological Survey (USGS) report on the depletion — The aquifer is the largest groundwater supply in the United States, underlying about 174,000 square miles across eight Great Plains states from South Dakota to Texas. Formed over millions of years, it has long served as a critical lifeline for agriculture, supplying water for roughly 30% of the nation’s irrigated crops and supporting around one-fifth of U.S. wheat, corn, cotton, and cattle production.

This vast underground reservoir sustains millions of acres of farmland that fuel the country’s food supply. Since large-scale extraction began in the mid 20th century, water levels have dropped dramatically, more than 100 feet in some spots.

Projections indicate significant portions could become unusable for irrigation within decades if current trends continue, threatening rural communities, farm economies and national food security. Climate change, with increased drought and heat, worsens the strain by boosting water demand.

No to AI data centers in western Nebraska, specifically, Lincoln County and surrounding areas. Not only because of the millions of gallons of the aquifer, but the electricity they burn through at the rate of a mid-size city, dumping the heat, the noise and diesel exhaust onto whatever neighborhood happens to sit next door.

Most electricity still comes from coal and natural gas, which means every new facility will be burning fossil fuels for decades. Particles in the air from diesel backup generators are tied to heart disease and cancer. Cooling systems run 24 hours a day and one county resident in Virginia measured the sound at 70 decibels at his front porch, like the sound of a vacuum that never shuts off,

Dozens of other places where land is cheap, the power is available and the local tax base is hungry enough to go ahead with a project before residents find out it exists.

Other countries such as Ireland have already figured out the math and put the brakes on before it’s begun, allowing only a few with strict efficiency rules. Singapore banned new data centers in 2019.When you look at the rest of the world, national governments have looked at the same data and harms and said no.

There are no guarantees that property taxes will go down, as reported by senators. Protect our farmland, communities, and the aquifer.

–Jan Knight, North Platte

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