The Kansas Water Authority (KWA) voted 12-1 on Wednesday to chart a new course for the Ogallala Aquifer. For decades, the state accepted the fact that the Aquifer would one day dry up. Now, the KWA explicitly believes that “the policy of planned depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer is no longer in the best interest of [Kansas]” and will put that language in its annual report. The agency will begin a collaborative process with state and regional groups as well as stakeholders “to establish data-driven goals, metrics, and actions,” according to meeting notes.
Speaking with the Kansas Reflector, Kansas Water Office Director Connie Owen called the decision “historic.” The one person to vote against the change, Randy Hayzlett, told Kansas City NPR affiliate KCUR that he worried about the board going too far by explicitly stating the agency would help halt the aquifer’s depletion. “[Halt is] a pretty strong word and it’s going to affect a lot of people,” Hayzlett said. “Is it going to help declines in the aquifer? Or is it going to help the economies in western Kansas? Just what’s it gonna put a cap on?”
Campaign Action
Much must change to reach a level deemed sustainable when it comes to using water from the Ogallala Aquifer. The aquifer, which spans eight states and around 175,000 square miles, is relied on in western Kansas, and much of the water usage from that section of the aquifer comes from crop irrigation. The Kansas Reflector found that reducing water consumption across four counties in drought years would require half the present usage—a steep decline and something most irrigators are unwilling to sacrifice.
It’s a common problem, an unwillingness to voluntarily cut back when water rations have always been particularly generous. This has been an issue when it comes to saving the Colorado River as well. There is no quick fix for water conservation, and Kansas plans to be diligent in how it addresses the Ogallala Aquifer. The next legislative session will include an audit of groundwater management districts and could opt to increase conservation funding. Kansas’ next legislative session begins next year on Jan. 9th.
Speaking with the Kansas Reflector, Kansas Water Office Director Connie Owen called the decision “historic.” The one person to vote against the change, Randy Hayzlett, told Kansas City NPR affiliate KCUR that he worried about the board going too far by explicitly stating the agency would help halt the aquifer’s depletion. “[Halt is] a pretty strong word and it’s going to affect a lot of people,” Hayzlett said. “Is it going to help declines in the aquifer? Or is it going to help the economies in western Kansas? Just what’s it gonna put a cap on?”
Campaign Action
Much must change to reach a level deemed sustainable when it comes to using water from the Ogallala Aquifer. The aquifer, which spans eight states and around 175,000 square miles, is relied on in western Kansas, and much of the water usage from that section of the aquifer comes from crop irrigation. The Kansas Reflector found that reducing water consumption across four counties in drought years would require half the present usage—a steep decline and something most irrigators are unwilling to sacrifice.
It’s a common problem, an unwillingness to voluntarily cut back when water rations have always been particularly generous. This has been an issue when it comes to saving the Colorado River as well. There is no quick fix for water conservation, and Kansas plans to be diligent in how it addresses the Ogallala Aquifer. The next legislative session will include an audit of groundwater management districts and could opt to increase conservation funding. Kansas’ next legislative session begins next year on Jan. 9th.