On the Texas High Plains, the Ogallala Aquifer supports one of the most agriculturally productive regions in the world. Although the area is characterized as a semi-arid environment, water drawn from the Ogallala Aquifer is used to sustain large-scale irrigated agriculture, livestock production and rural communities. Thus the landscape and rural economy of West Texas are both are strongly dependent upon the Ogallala Aquifer as a major groundwater resource.