The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is one of the largest programs of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that encourages farmers and ranchers to establish resource-conserving vegetative covers to address soil, water and related resource issues on their lands. This research study examines the relationship between the CRP and the changes in the groundwater levels within Texas County in the Oklahoma Panhandle region. The region overlies the central portion of the High Plains Aquifer that has shown significant decline in groundwater levels, due largely to the development of irrigated agriculture. Using the calibrated SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model and GIS-based analysis, a significant spatial correlation (γ = −0.81 [...]
