Nonfiction

Running Out: In Search of Water on the High Plains

Running Out: In Search of Water on the High Plains

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  • Create Date：2022-10-03 16:21:35
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Lucas Bessire
  • ISBN：0691216436
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Summary

Finalist for the National Book Award
An intimate reckoning with aquifer depletion in America's heartland



The Ogallala aquifer has nourished life on the American Great Plains for millennia。 But less than a century of unsustainable irrigation farming has taxed much of the aquifer beyond repair。 The imminent depletion of the Ogallala and other aquifers around the world is a defining planetary crisis of our times。 Running Out offers a uniquely personal account of aquifer depletion and the deeper layers through which it gains meaning and force。

Anthropologist Lucas Bessire journeyed back to western Kansas， where five generations of his family lived as irrigation farmers and ranchers， to try to make sense of this vital resource and its loss。 His search for water across the drying High Plains brings the reader face to face with the stark realities of industrial agriculture， eroding democratic norms， and surreal interpretations of a looming disaster。 Yet the destination is far from predictable， as the book seeks to move beyond the words and genres through which destruction is often known。 Instead， this journey into the morass of eradication offers a series of unexpected discoveries about what it means to inherit the troubled legacies of the past and how we can take responsibility for a more inclusive， sustainable future。

An urgent and unsettling meditation on environmental change， Running Out is a revelatory account of family， complicity， loss， and what it means to find your way back home。

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Reviews

Melanie785 ，

I honestly thought this book would be on the dry side。 However， Bessire really connects the draining of the Ogallala Aquifer to society - even outside of agriculture today。 Yes， agriculture a major focus along with the shift from family to corporate farming。 Politics is of course a topic of major discussion with this book。 Immigration and women's rights were also brought up in this book。 It was actually a very interesting read on a problem more of us need to become aware。How did this book find m I honestly thought this book would be on the dry side。 However， Bessire really connects the draining of the Ogallala Aquifer to society - even outside of agriculture today。 Yes， agriculture a major focus along with the shift from family to corporate farming。 Politics is of course a topic of major discussion with this book。 Immigration and women's rights were also brought up in this book。 It was actually a very interesting read on a problem more of us need to become aware。How did this book find me？？ It was a 2022 Kansas Notable Book。 It is also a finalist for the 2021 National Book Award。 。。。more

Seth ，

Timely account of groundwater depletion told through the lens of a son returning to his boyhood （and ancestral） home。 Part family history， part American history， and compelling throughout。

Luke ，

Smart intricate blend of personal and family memoir， current anthropology/sociology about farmers and corporations and pumped aquifer irrigation in SW Kansas， and history of depletion and extinction for water， first peoples， and bison。

Mary ，

A nuanced， deeply important reflection on capitalism， environmentalism， and belonging on the high plains。

Bret Parker ，

Here we mingle family history and story of the depletion of the aquifer in southwestern Kansas， as well as lots of other Kansas history。 From the eyes and by the methods of an ethnographer who waxes literary in his writing， we watch as his discoveries about groundwater depletion and family secrets are revealed。

Claudia ，

While investigating the depletion of the Ogallala aquifer， the author also investigates his own past in the Kansas area that his family farmed for generations。 Reconnecting with his father， Bessire gets introductions and access to meetings as well as people on both sides of the decision regarding the future of the aquifer。 The author's revisit to his home and searching through the writings of his grandmother - although seemingly connecting with the land and his family - seem more of a distractio While investigating the depletion of the Ogallala aquifer， the author also investigates his own past in the Kansas area that his family farmed for generations。 Reconnecting with his father， Bessire gets introductions and access to meetings as well as people on both sides of the decision regarding the future of the aquifer。 The author's revisit to his home and searching through the writings of his grandmother - although seemingly connecting with the land and his family - seem more of a distraction although his descriptions of the prairie and remembrances of how it was decades and centuries ago - before the current troubled times - edge into wistful longing of the productive land that needed no chemical assistance or excessive watering。Unfortunately， humans have a habit of using a resource to extinction - the bison with all the environmental impact and collateral damage。 Now it's the water in the aquifer which is being drained faster than it can be replenished。 It is rather surprising that regional water management agencies make it difficult and expensive to make any action towards conservation as they encourage depletion and foster the interests of large corporate agrobusinesses。 But still few farmers are working with university programs to attempt to work with nature and limiting excessive water usage。For those farmers that are strongly committed to eradicating the aquifer， I have to wonder where the water for their crops will come from when all the wells pump dust。 。 。 。 Perhaps a governmental agency will wave a magic wand and abundant water will miraculously appear。 。 。 。 2022-175 。。。more

Oleksandr Zholud ，

This is a short non-fic about an important topic of exhausting freshwater resources about which I heard very little， namely using deep underground aquifers。 I read it as a part of buddy reads for July 2022 at Non Fiction Book Club group。According to the author， groundwater extraction is draining aquifers across the globe， and most of this groundwater eventually makes its way to the sea。 So much groundwater is pumped to the surface and drained into the oceans that it is now a major contributor to This is a short non-fic about an important topic of exhausting freshwater resources about which I heard very little， namely using deep underground aquifers。 I read it as a part of buddy reads for July 2022 at Non Fiction Book Club group。According to the author， groundwater extraction is draining aquifers across the globe， and most of this groundwater eventually makes its way to the sea。 So much groundwater is pumped to the surface and drained into the oceans that it is now a major contributor to sea level rise， roughly on par with melting glaciers。 And while most people heard about the melting polar caps and the fright of polar bears and other animals， the equally important source of the rise is mentioned much less often。He decided to concentrate on a local issue， as an example of the global problem， namely using groundwater in his homeland – Kansas。 His family has deep roots there and partially this book is an attempt to recognize the wrongdoing and atone for his family's sins， against both environment and previous inhabitants， human and animal。The author travels （often accompanied by his father） across the state and tries to understand how to stop farmers from overusing groundwater。 Around eleven thousand irrigation wells have transformed part of the former Great American Desert into the so-called breadbasket of the world， with Kansas’ agriculture generating several billion dollars of revenue each year。 Nearly all of the shortgrass has been plowed into fields。 Industrial agribusiness has remade this space in its own image。 And all this is because of the ‘underground ocean’。 An increase in output led to falling prices and therefore incomes。 To compensate farmers turned to more intensive agriculture - every fall around October， a farmer harvests yellow corn。 After harvest， fertilizer and pesticides are sprayed and the same ground is planted to triticale， a winter wheat-rye hybrid。 After the spring triticale harvest， the same ground is plowed and again drenched with chemicals。 It is then replanted to corn and watered until shortly before corn harvest。 In this cycle， the earth never lies fallow。 Large amounts of water are required， as are repeated doses of chemicals。 And this brings prices even further down。Farmers around the globe are usually hard-working no-nonsense people。 However， the author’s chats with ones in Kansas showed that most of them understand the problem， even if not always able to stop overusing groundwater if they want to survive as a business。 Just 2 percent of water users in Kansas in 2015-7 consumed 22% of the groundwater。 Moreover， the investigation in Kansas found that the top users of the aquifer were large out-of-state agribusiness corporations and the tenant farmers who leased their land or farmed for shares at their direction。 So blaming farmers is often just not seeing the true top users。There are several digressions to other topics that relate to the history of this corner of Kansas， namely the destroying buffalo and killing Indians， the great Dustbowl of the 1930s as well as personal histories of his relatives。 An interesting quick read。 。。。more

Daniel ，

The water in Western Kansas is running out， in a classic tragedy of the commons fashion。 The problem with aquifer water is that it is very hard to know how they run underground。 1: All the farmers just pump all they can， because it is inevitable。 2。 Insurance payouts are higher for irrigated crops。 So irrigate。 3。 The board that oversees water management consist of rich elite agro-business people。 So they don’t really restrict pumping of water 4。 Big agro-investors aim for short term profit and The water in Western Kansas is running out， in a classic tragedy of the commons fashion。 The problem with aquifer water is that it is very hard to know how they run underground。 1: All the farmers just pump all they can， because it is inevitable。 2。 Insurance payouts are higher for irrigated crops。 So irrigate。 3。 The board that oversees water management consist of rich elite agro-business people。 So they don’t really restrict pumping of water 4。 Big agro-investors aim for short term profit and do not really care about long term aquifer water depletion5。 Only land owners have access to aquifer water。 So the rich who own lots of land， or Big farmers can control the votes easily Solution:1。 Grow crops that have much higher yield per water use2。 Use technology to not over irrigate - sometimes it can even increase yield3。 Use genetically modified crops that require less water4: Allow other stakeholders， such as people living in the region， to also vote。 Otherwise， water will run out and Kansas will turn into desert。 。。。more

Laurie ，

Oh， goodness。 This book about the depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer told by an anthropologist and product of southwest Kansas' irrigated farming culture was deeply disturbing， but eye-opening。 Politics， colonialism， racism， horrific violence， lies， treachery， climate change， environmental disaster， corporate greed。。。 It's all here and it's all true。 I had to source through interlibrary loan from the University of Houston but would have paid the $9。99 to Amazon for the Kindle version if I'd known Oh， goodness。 This book about the depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer told by an anthropologist and product of southwest Kansas' irrigated farming culture was deeply disturbing， but eye-opening。 Politics， colonialism， racism， horrific violence， lies， treachery， climate change， environmental disaster， corporate greed。。。 It's all here and it's all true。 I had to source through interlibrary loan from the University of Houston but would have paid the $9。99 to Amazon for the Kindle version if I'd known how good it was going to be！ 。。。more

Greg ，

I found the sections concerning the Ogalalla Aquifer and the history of southwest Kansas lyrical， moving and informative。 I could have done without the extended exposition into the author's conflicting views about his own family and masculinity。 I found the sections concerning the Ogalalla Aquifer and the history of southwest Kansas lyrical， moving and informative。 I could have done without the extended exposition into the author's conflicting views about his own family and masculinity。 。。。more

PottWab Regional Library ，

SM

Ian Billick ，

Hmmm。 I really wanted to like the book and some ways I did。 But it never really gelled。 Disturbing about the loss of aquifer water。 But did not come together。

Elizabeth ，

2

Jaci ，

Depletion as an attitude as well as a water problem is the main character of this fascinating book。 The Ogallala aquifer is the focus and the involvement of the author's family with it through Kansas farming brings a level of intimacy not normally found in agricultural research。 Included are the extinction of the buffalo， Sand Creek Massacre， and the 1930s Dust Bowl。 Beautifully done， glorious notes， bibliography， and index。p。xiii: This pattern of blockage and flow constitutes the book's concept Depletion as an attitude as well as a water problem is the main character of this fascinating book。 The Ogallala aquifer is the focus and the involvement of the author's family with it through Kansas farming brings a level of intimacy not normally found in agricultural research。 Included are the extinction of the buffalo， Sand Creek Massacre， and the 1930s Dust Bowl。 Beautifully done， glorious notes， bibliography， and index。p。xiii: This pattern of blockage and flow constitutes the book's conceptual argument。p。3: So much groundwater is pumped to the surface and drained into the oceans that it isnow a major contributor to sea level rise， roughly on par with melting glaciers。p。78: If true， then corporate profits are a key part of the acquifer depletion puzzle。 It should have come as no surprise。p。144: The extreme politicization of perception has made it nearly impossible to locate shared criteria of truth， evidence， and sense。p。173: Depletion intensifies and creates parasitic trends that target certain people's lives。p。178: Comparative acounts of depletion remain to be written。 But the most extreme manifestations may share several general features。 Depletion is a kind of "self-devouring growth" that exerts organizational pressure on the politics of legitimate life。 It flourishes wherever people inhabit the residues of settler invations and forgotten genocides， traces of destroyed ecosystems， surges of boom-bust despair and simmering resentment， chemical disruptions and the specter of more heat and drought。 。。。more

Sherry Tamone ，

What a sad state of affairs when it comes to the availability of water in the old great plains。 What I liked about this book was the telling of the history by the grandson of one of the pioneers that led the drilling and pumping of water from the finite aquifers。

Jeff Brimhall ，

Audio Book: Thought this was a more standard non fiction book about aquifer。 Turns out to be more of a personal: family memoir about how depletion has been part of his story。 Interesting way of relating environmental change to individual people。 This book is kind of hard to listen to as it clearly describes how screwed up the environment is。 Painted an amazing picture of what once existed in western Kansas as far as prairie and cimmarron river。

Max ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Narrative about returning to western Kansas childhood home and Ogallala aquifer pumping crisis unfolding。

Michael Travis ，

Thought provoking， scary， insightful。。。eye-opening， heart-breaking， call to action。 I want to do my part to help with stopping the depletion of the Ogalala。

Susan Kinyon ，

National Book Award for the nonfiction of the year 2021。 MOREThe Ogallala aquafer has long supplied fresh drinking water， as well as plenty of water for crops （and livestock which was not mentioned in this book）， to those on the high plains of the US without much thought。 Therein lies the problem， the aquafer has been taken for granted for many generations of farmers and ranchers， but corporate greed has water-mined （depleted） this natural resource。 It has not been sustained over the many genera National Book Award for the nonfiction of the year 2021。 MOREThe Ogallala aquafer has long supplied fresh drinking water， as well as plenty of water for crops （and livestock which was not mentioned in this book）， to those on the high plains of the US without much thought。 Therein lies the problem， the aquafer has been taken for granted for many generations of farmers and ranchers， but corporate greed has water-mined （depleted） this natural resource。 It has not been sustained over the many generations of use or by large industry。Lucas Bessire， an Anthropology Professor， returned to his family land in western Kansas to discover the water levels have been depleted beyond the ability to replete them in our lifetime （if ever）。 With climate change and other issues， this is serious and challenging for all residents of the high plains states （and the world） to survive without sufficient water。 Fact: The Ogallala aquafer supplies over 1/3 of the worlds grain produce， over 1/6 of the United States water， and over 1/10 （IIRC） of the worlds beef （BTW Nebraska beef is #1， with Kansas beef a close second！）。 Highly recommend this short but deep read。 。。。more

Lisa ，

I enjoyed this even if I can’t quite explain why。 Bessire captures the affective experience of his journey even without much precision within his argument。

Paul ，

Too much navel gazing， I wanted to read about water， not the author's family history and his saintly grandmother。 Too much navel gazing， I wanted to read about water， not the author's family history and his saintly grandmother。 。。。more

Tracey ，

"Powerful elites twist the language of decency in order to steal from the future with no plan for repayment other than the debt itself。 They bend the words of justice to unjust ends and invoke truth to spread lies。 People are primed to reject different viewpoints and stand ready to violently defend imperiled homelands even as social isolation， economic strain， and droughts drive a mental health crisis in rural areas around the world。" The idea of the Ogallala aquifer running out of water is a te "Powerful elites twist the language of decency in order to steal from the future with no plan for repayment other than the debt itself。 They bend the words of justice to unjust ends and invoke truth to spread lies。 People are primed to reject different viewpoints and stand ready to violently defend imperiled homelands even as social isolation， economic strain， and droughts drive a mental health crisis in rural areas around the world。" The idea of the Ogallala aquifer running out of water is a terrifying prospect。 Bessire's exploration of this topic takes a personal turn， given that his grandfather was the first to drill into the aquifer in western Kansas （it is an honest exploration in accountability）。The word depletion gets used A LOT and it only gains traction as the book moves along。 I enjoyed the stories of Bessire riding around in a old pickup with his dad， who he recently reconnected with after a period of estrangement。 They visit water board meetings， irrigation farmers， and neighbors。 His dad's relationship is what opens people up to him。 This is part memoir， ethnography， and call to action。 It is well written， thoughtful， empathic to farmers， and brutally honest about what corporations have done to agriculture， and in turn the land and water tables。 。。。more

Amy Golden ，

A deep look into the complex problem of aquifer depletion in the Plains。 A native of southwest Kansas， and an anthropologist by training， Bessire seeks to unravel why depletion continues despite many stakeholders actively working toward different outcomes。 He puts depletion in its historical context finding to it be the latest in a series of depletions- colonization， genocide， over hunting。 He also learns that despite many farmers seeking solutions， current economic structures reinforce the prac A deep look into the complex problem of aquifer depletion in the Plains。 A native of southwest Kansas， and an anthropologist by training， Bessire seeks to unravel why depletion continues despite many stakeholders actively working toward different outcomes。 He puts depletion in its historical context finding to it be the latest in a series of depletions- colonization， genocide， over hunting。 He also learns that despite many farmers seeking solutions， current economic structures reinforce the practice of depletion。 Part memoir， he uses his grandmother’s research as a jumping off point; and despite a previously strained relationship， he leverages his father’s rights as a landowner to gain access to various water governing bodies。 At 180 pages this is a short but powerful book， I highly recommend it。 。。。more

Leslie ，

I'm really glad that I picked this up off the "recommended" table at the library。 A late-to-life lesson on our dependence on groundwater， a reminder that history is sad and family is complicated， and a wistfulness to see the plains hundreds of years ago。 I'm really glad that I picked this up off the "recommended" table at the library。 A late-to-life lesson on our dependence on groundwater， a reminder that history is sad and family is complicated， and a wistfulness to see the plains hundreds of years ago。 。。。more

Wendy ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I reviewed this book as part of the Non-fiction section of the High Plains book awards。 The book uses a first person （the interviewer） returning to his family farm in Western Kansas to learn the history and current condition of the Ogallala aquifer。 He is returning home after many years away for education and starting a career。 He starts with his father and enlists him to help him set up and interview the locals。 Through the investigation they uncover the corporate greed that has lead to the use I reviewed this book as part of the Non-fiction section of the High Plains book awards。 The book uses a first person （the interviewer） returning to his family farm in Western Kansas to learn the history and current condition of the Ogallala aquifer。 He is returning home after many years away for education and starting a career。 He starts with his father and enlists him to help him set up and interview the locals。 Through the investigation they uncover the corporate greed that has lead to the users of the aquifer really do not want to know what impacts they are having to the continuance of a functioning aquifer。 The allocations to senior users always for full water allocations and no accounting for the massive drawdown and lack of recharge due to numerous droughts。 Overall the writing flows well and keeps you interested in finding out more from those interviewed。 It is infuriating to listen to the recounting of the water users meeting where the justify the huge water uses to maintain capital and a 'be damned' attitude to the future need for water。 。。。more

Lennon ，

I have many thoughts on this book but my review will be simple。 I loved this so much that I want to buy a copy to have and highlight favorite sections to read again。

Blaze K ，

Running Out by Lucas Bessire turned into a deep and haunting read for me。 I thought it was a book about the Ogallala aquifer， but it is about so much more。 I， like Bessire， grew up on the High Plains and quenched my thirst with water pumped from this aquifer。 I， like Bessire， also trace my inheritance to the deep wells that irrigate commercial crops – a livelihood for my family for generations。 As an anthropologist， Bessire quickly reveals that this book will not only be about the mechanics， sci Running Out by Lucas Bessire turned into a deep and haunting read for me。 I thought it was a book about the Ogallala aquifer， but it is about so much more。 I， like Bessire， grew up on the High Plains and quenched my thirst with water pumped from this aquifer。 I， like Bessire， also trace my inheritance to the deep wells that irrigate commercial crops – a livelihood for my family for generations。 As an anthropologist， Bessire quickly reveals that this book will not only be about the mechanics， science and history of an aquifer; it is a story about depletion and about what one generation does to the next， and hauntingly， it is about what we do when we find we are active agents in this story。 If you did not grow up on the High Plains， you may wonder why any of this should matter much to you。 A few quick facts revealed in the book: the Ogallala aquifer supports around one-sixth of the world’s grain produce， accounts for one-third of all irrigation in the United States， and is at great threat of running dry。 I initially expected the author to miss the nuance and complexity of both the people and systems behind production agriculture in the region; however， Bessire surprised me。 While I may not agree with him on every point， he embarked on his journey into the depths of the Ogallala with an open mind and earnest approach。 He makes that clear throughout the book。 To give you a taste of his writing style， which I found to be an additional and unsuspecting gem of this read， here is just one of many excerpts I underlined， dog-eared， and later reread: “I realized I was still searching for a deeper kind of sustenance in the aquifer waters， too。 Something about their destruction and the resulting absences was bringing me closer to the elements that made up my inheritance。” I enjoyed having an anthropologist of my generation research and write about the people of the High Plains。 It is hard to narrow down to one excerpt， but this one was particularly sharp: “Depletive industry flourishes along these fault lines that turn us against the future， against each other， and against ourselves。 What does it mean， then， if depletion itself may soon be one of the few common experiences that are shared by people on the High Plains？”I’ll add one final call to action that I felt within my bones。 “We stand at a crossroads。 In one direction lies the final eradication of the aquifer waters。 In the other is a chance to share some of this ancient life force with the future。 We know that practical alternatives to depletion abound。 They lie on collective ground。 The choice is ours to make。 Time to do so is running out。 If we fail to act， an emptied aquifer will change our lives for us。 Whatever we decide， it will reverberate far beyond this time and place。” If you give this book a read， you will learn about an aquifer running dry， but you will also learn about the culture and people of the High Plains， and quite possibly， a little about your own guilt。 When we venture into our own past and look deep within the well of our ancestors， we may find the depletion of many ancient waters。 。。。more

wade ，

A fascinating look at water depletion in an area of southwestern Kansas with a warning for other parts of thr world。 Why Kansas？ This is the homestead of the author growing up and his family has lived there for generations。 The book takes on the issue on the micro level （his fanily） and the macro level （scientific research） on the topic。 The problem with this is as with all environmental issues is human behavior - ranckers， farmers and agribusinesses that what to maximize profits。 A book deserv A fascinating look at water depletion in an area of southwestern Kansas with a warning for other parts of thr world。 Why Kansas？ This is the homestead of the author growing up and his family has lived there for generations。 The book takes on the issue on the micro level （his fanily） and the macro level （scientific research） on the topic。 The problem with this is as with all environmental issues is human behavior - ranckers， farmers and agribusinesses that what to maximize profits。 A book deserving the plaudits that it has recieved。 。。。more

Ryan ，

A blend of poetic writing， firsthand experience， and the latest science。 Lots of highlights from this one。

Brian ，

For some reason this subject always fascinates me so I decided to listen to this as an audiobook and thought it was well written。 It's a sad situation all around for how the aquifer is being depleted。 What will we do and how will life change on the Kansas plains once it's all gone？ For some reason this subject always fascinates me so I decided to listen to this as an audiobook and thought it was well written。 It's a sad situation all around for how the aquifer is being depleted。 What will we do and how will life change on the Kansas plains once it's all gone？ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Running Out: In Search of Water on the High Plains

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Running Out: In Search of Water on the High Plains&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Running Out: In Search of Water on the High Plains&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0