ABSTRACT
The High Plains Aquifer in the United States is one of the largest groundwater systems in the world. Water from the aquifer is vitally important to both the agriculture-based economies and rural communities in this region and to areas around the world that rely on agricultural goods produced there. Groundwater withdrawn from the aquifer generates more than $7 billion in crop production annually and supports about 20% of the corn, cotton, cattle, and wheat produced in the U.S. each year. Yet an alarming decline in groundwater levels in some parts of the aquifer puts at risk the long-term economic and ecological viability across most of the High Plains Aquifer region. Different states in the region have pursued varying paths to governing the use of water from the aquifer, with varying degrees of success toward sustainability. The nascent field of Water Diplomacy provides a useful lens through which to evaluate the governance institutions that different states have put in place to achieve sustainable use of High Plains Aquifer water. The High Plains Aquifer presents a useful case to further the application of Water Diplomacy as a discipline to water governance situations. Here we look at the states of Kansas, Nebraska, and Texas to identify the extent to which U.S. state-level governance institutions possess the principles needed for Water Diplomacy solutions in the context of groundwater governance. To achieve this, we draw upon the work of Elinor Ostrom and apply her eight design principles for governing sustainable common-pool resources.
