Hydrologic data used to evalute the ground-water potential of the High Plains aquifer system in Nebraska are presented on maps showing the hydraulic conductivity and specific yield of the aquifer system and the volume and distribution of water pumped for irrigation from the aquifer system during 1980. The High Plains aquifer system underlies 177,000 square miles in parts of eight states, including 64,770 square miles in Nebraska. It consists of the Ogallala Formation and Tertiary and Quaternary deposits that are saturated and hydraulically connected to the Ogallala. The hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer system varies from greater than 200 feet per day in parts of the North Platte, Platte, Elkhorn, and Republican River valleys to less than 25 feet per day in the northwestern part of the state. Specific yield of the aquifer system ranges from 10 to 20 percent in most of the state and averages 16 percent. The estimated volume of water recoverable from the aquifer system in Nebraska is 2,237 million acre-feet. Inches of water withdrawn from the aquifer system during 1980 varied from less than 1.5 in the sandhills of north-central Nebraska to more than 12 in the Platte River and Blue River basins. This withdrawal represents about 6,703,000 acre-feet of ground water.
