Playas provide important wildlife habitat, but they also provide many benefits for people such as cleaner water going back into the Ogallala aquifer that can support families and towns, recreational activities, and flood control.
Playas are a primary source of groundwater recharge, with an average rate across the region of about three inches per year.
Playas are water filtration systems—keeping fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides out of the groundwater.
Playas attract wildlife, providing local waterfowl and upland game bird hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities.
Playas collect runoff during high rains, reducing property damage from flooding and reducing erosion.
Playas—also called mud holes, buffalo wallows, and lagoons—are relatively small, round, shallow depressions found primarily in the western Great Plains. Their basins are lined with clay soil, which collects and holds water from rainfall and runoff, creating temporary lakes.
The extreme wet-dry cycle that playas experience is the lifeblood of their ecosystem. When dry, the clay soils contract and form large cracks in the bottom of the playa basin. Plant seeds and invertebrate eggs from the last wet period lay dormant in the soil, waiting for the next large rainfall to germinate and hatch. When the rain comes, the first flush of water runs into the playa and through the cracks, beginning its journey to the underlying aquifer. As the runoff continues, the clay soils expand; the cracks seal and the playa begins to fill with water. Wetland plants and invertebrates complete their life-cycle, and birds and mammals use the playa for food, water, and shelter.
In this grassland landscape, playas are the main source of water, providing much-needed rest stops and food to migrating waterfowl and shorebirds as well as resident prairie birds. Playas are the center of biodiversity on the plains—supporting 185 bird species, 450 plant species, 13 amphibian species, and 37 mammal species at some point in their life-cycle.
The greatest continuing threat to playas is culturally-accelerated sediment accumulation from row-crop agriculture. These sediments may interfere with the shrinking and swelling of the clay layer, which is vital to aquifer recharge, and reduce playa volume and length of time a playa will hold water, which significantly affects the plant and wildlife community supported by the playa. Modifications such as pits, ditches, berms, and roads also pose a threat to playas. These modifications concentrate water in a smaller area, thus reducing suitable habitat for water-dependent birds.
Healthy playas are a primary source of groundwater recharge — and provide important, year-round habitat for birds and other wildlife. Unlike many other wetlands, playas have an irregular wet-dry cycle, which is key to how they function. This video shows how playas recharge the Ogallala aquifer and provide critical wildlife habitat as they go through the cycle.
Playa Lakes Joint Venture held a Playa Recharge Summit with scientists and researchers who study various aspects of playas to determine what is known about groundwater recharge through playas. Click on a photo below to read what they had to say and listen to short podcasts that include interviews with some of them.
Use the Playa Recharge and Wetness Estimators to explore the playa landscape, calculate an estimate of how much water recharges through individual playas, and learn about past patterns of wetness for playas in different seasons.
To learn how to use these tools, watch the Recharge Estimator tutorial and Wetness Estimator tutorial videos.
We know that every decision by every landowner is a personal one, driven by unique experiences and circumstances. Understanding those decisions can only be appreciated through personal conversations. We’re here to help you put your playa to work in a way that meets your operational goals while providing water for you and future generations as well as habitat for wildlife.
Accumulated sediment may interfere with the shrinking and swelling of the clay layer, which is vital to aquifer recharge, and reduce the volume of water the playa will hold.
Playa modifications — such as pits, channels, terraces, and roads — that disrupt aquifer recharge and reduce water surface area can be addressed to restore hydrological function.
Native grass buffers, at least 100 ft wide, improve the quality of the water entering the playa basin and the water that subsequently reaches the Ogallala Aquifer through the playa.
Grazing the grass buffer and playa basin provides better wildlife habitat and allows runoff to reach the playa basin, increasing the incidence of groundwater recharge and ponding.
There are several conservation programs available to help you restore and protect playas. A few state and federal programs are listed below for comparison. Learn more about these and other programs to see which options may work for you.
Explore options for managing playas in fields that are typically farmed and determine how USDA conservation programs can meet your operational objectives. Download the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (version 1.2, updated Feb. 1, 2022) and customize your calculations with individual operational costs, local rates for conservation programs, and more.
To learn how to use the calculator, watch the tutorial video.
The May 2021 issue of Discover Magazine included an article, These Wetlands Feed The Largest Aquifer In The U.S. What Happens If We Lose Them?, which highlights the importance of playas to groundwater recharge.
Did you know that restoring playas on your land can help recharge the aquifer? And now, there is a conservation program that provides landowners with financial and technical assistance to …
