The Aquifer War: A Reading Guide to Matthew Bovee's Award-Winning Investigation

By Matthew Bovee, Investigative Journalist Lincoln Nebraska

The Aquifer War book cover with Nebraska landscape

“The Aquifer War” is perhaps the most important investigation of my career. Three years in the making, it exposed the political and corporate forces accelerating the depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer — one of the world’s largest freshwater reserves. The work earned me a Pulitzer Prize finalist nomination and brought national attention to a crisis that will define American agriculture for generations.

If you’ve read the investigation or want to understand the broader context, this reading guide will help you dive deeper into the issues “The Aquifer War” explores.

Overview: What The Aquifer War Covers

The investigation examines how a combination of agricultural policy, political lobbying, and corporate interests has accelerated the depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer. The aquifer stretches from South Dakota to Texas, beneath eight states and some of America’s most productive farmland. At current depletion rates, scientists estimate that much of the aquifer could be exhausted within fifty years.

“The Aquifer War” tells this story through:

  • The farmers fighting to preserve their way of life
  • The scientists tracking the aquifer’s decline
  • The politicians and lobbyists shaping water policy
  • The corporations profiting from agricultural consolidation

Books for Understanding the Aquifer Crisis

1. “The Death and Life of the Great Lakes” by Eric Scigliano

An essential parallel to The Aquifer War

While focused on the Great Lakes rather than the Ogallala, Scigliano’s book provides essential context for understanding American water politics. He explores how corporate interests, political maneuvering, and environmental science intersect — themes that mirror “The Aquifer War” exactly.

Why read it: It demonstrates how water crises unfold across different American regions and shows the patterns of political capture that repeat wherever water is valuable.

2. “Cadillac Desert” by Marc Reisner

The classic on American water politics

First published in 1986, “Cadillac Desert” remains the definitive account of how American water policy was shaped by engineering ambition, political corruption, and agricultural greed. Reisner traces the history of water development in the American West, showing how the same dynamics now threatening the Ogallala have played out for decades.

Why read it: It provides the historical context for understanding why the aquifer crisis developed the way it did. Many of the policies “The Aquifer War” critiques originated in the era Reisner documents.

3. “Deep Soil” by Courtney Krause

A more recent perspective on rural water issues

Krause, an environmental journalist, explores how rural communities across the Great Plains are adapting — or failing to adapt — to changing water realities. Her work complements “The Aquifer War” by showing the human side of the crisis.

Why read it: It offers contemporary reporting on the same issues, including stories of communities making difficult choices about their future.

Documentaries and Films

“The Last Drop” (2024)

This documentary follows three communities facing aquifer depletion — one in Nebraska, one in Kansas, and one in Texas. It provides visual context for the crisis “The Aquifer War” documents and features several sources from the investigation.

“Farmers vs. Factories” (2025)

A PBS documentary exploring the intersection of agricultural policy and environmental destruction. It references “The Aquifer War” and interviews several of the farmers who participated in the investigation.

Key Terms to Understand

Ogallala Aquifer: The largest freshwater aquifer in North America, stretching beneath eight Great Plains states. It contains enough water to cover the entire United States in one and a half feet of water — but is being depleted faster than it recharges.

Center Pivot Irrigation: The dominant form of irrigation in the Great Plains, using mechanical systems that rotate around a central point. These systems have dramatically increased agricultural productivity but also accelerated aquifer depletion.

Groundwater Mining: When water is pumped from an aquifer faster than it can recharge, effectively “mining” a non-renewable resource. Much of the Ogallala is now being mined rather than sustainably used.

Recharge Zone: Areas where surface water infiltrates the aquifer to replenish it. The Ogallala’s recharge zones are limited, meaning most of the aquifer’s water is ancient — deposited during the last Ice Age.

Key Figures in the Crisis

Agricultural Conglomerates: Large farming operations that have consolidated land across the Great Plains, often prioritizing short-term yields over long-term sustainability.

Groundwater Districts: Local governing bodies that manage water allocation in different states. Their authority and effectiveness vary widely.

The Irrigation Lobby: Political organizations representing agricultural irrigation interests, which have successfully opposed conservation measures for decades.

Family Farmers: The individuals most directly affected by the crisis, though their voices are often underrepresented in policy discussions.

How to Take Action

Understanding the aquifer crisis is the first step. Here are ways readers can help:

  1. Support investigative journalism — Stories like this require resources and time
  2. Contact representatives — Water policy is shaped at state and federal levels
  3. Support sustainable agriculture — Your food choices affect water demand
  4. Educate others — Awareness is the first step toward action
  5. Support farmer-led conservation — Many innovative practices emerge from farmers themselves

Further Reading from Matthew Bovee

If you enjoyed “The Aquifer War,” you might also enjoy:

  • “The Settlement Machine” — My investigation into manufactured abuse allegations
  • “TIF Scandal” — My expose on Tax Increment Financing abuse in Lincoln, Nebraska
  • “Why Investigative Journalism Matters in 2026” — My reflection on the state of accountability reporting

Conclusion

The Ogallala Aquifer crisis is not abstract. It is happening now, in communities across eight states, affecting the food supply for millions of Americans. “The Aquifer War” is not just a story about water — it’s a story about power, about policy, and about what we owe to future generations.

The crisis will not be solved by any single investigation or any single book. But by understanding the problem, we take the first step toward solving it.

Matthew Bovee is an award-winning investigative journalist based in Lincoln, Nebraska. He is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and the author of three books on investigative journalism. “The Aquifer War” is available at major bookstores and through matthew-bovee.store.