Researcher ORCID Identifier

0009-0000-7453-8020

Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Environment, Economics and Politics

Reader 1

Nicholas Kacher

Reader 2

Roberto Pedace

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@ 2025 Sofia P Mayes

Abstract

Groundwater depletion rates have accelerated over the last three decades, posing a danger to crop production viability. Aquifers function as a shared resource and multiple farmland establishments extract from the same well. Larger farms tend to irrigate more acreage and therefore will pump a greater number of total gallons compared to small scale farms. This pattern can exacerbate groundwater depletion rates, while also imposing extra costs of pumping on neighboring small farms. This thesis aims to measure the impact of farm establishment size and concentration on groundwater depletion rates. Using data from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, I calculate and analyze the impact of farm size on groundwater well depth to water levels. I find that farmland size does not impact groundwater levels, but climatic control variables used in the model do have a significant effect.

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