LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new report says Nebraska irrigators used 30 percent less water last year compared to 2014 across a wide swath of the state.

Water use averaged 7 inches per acre in 2014, compared to 10.1 inches the previous year.

Terry Martin, president of the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts, says the decline is partly due to increased precipitation. He also credits Nebraska’s 23 NRDs for carefully managing the groundwater.

A recent report by the U.S. Geological Survey indicates that, on average, the condition of the Ogallala Aquifer is stable and significantly healthier in Nebraska than in all other states.

Of the six states that overlie a significant portion of the aquifer, Nebraska has experienced the smallest decline in water since the 1950s.