Legislators are almost certain to place the decline of the Ogallala Aquifer among their top priorities as the drought bearing down on Western Kansas hits the already depleted water supply.
Every inch of Kansas is either abnormally dry or in a drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, with most of the western half of the state in either an “extreme” or “exceptional” one.
In Western Kansas, where there’s little surface water to be found, crop irrigation is expected to once again drive big declines in the Ogallala Aquifer, one of the world’s largest underground water sources. Parts of the aquifer that still have water left to pump could see quadruple the losses of a normal year.
“We’re anticipating water levels are going to be down probably everywhere in the aquifer,” said Brownie Wilson, a researcher for the Kansas Geological Survey.
But Gov. Laura Kelly told a crowd in Manhattan last month that Kansans didn’t need the drought to remind them of the severe state of the aquifer.
She said “waiting for a miracle is not an option.”
“I give you my word that protecting our water supply will remain a top priority in Topeka over the next four years,” Kelly said. “I refuse to allow the can to be kicked any further down the road.”
Kelly’s pledge adds urgency to the work Kansas legislators started in the last couple of years, highlighting the decline of the aquifer and looking for ways to tackle it. Last year, the state fully funded its water plan for the first time since 2008 and started an audit of groundwater management in Western Kansas.
But legislators’ efforts to pass monumental legislation overhauling state agencies and exerting more pressure on local officials to conserve water fell short. The bill was gutted in committee.
Last year’s chair, Rep. Ron Highland, didn’t seek reelection. Now, Rep. Jim Minnix, R-Scott City, will lead. Minnix, a farmer and rancher who says he has been trying to conserve for 20 years, said new members would have to be brought up to speed. But he’ll encourage them to study on their own.
“We’re not going to start from scratch,” he said, adding that he hopes to move forward as quickly as possible.
Rep. Lindsay Vaughn served as the ranking Democrat on the House Water Committee for the last two sessions as members studied the state of the aquifer and attempted to overhaul water management in Kansas.
The committee didn’t pass the major legislation Highland and Vaughn hoped. Minnix was among the legislators who voted against it. But Vaughn thinks there’s momentum.
“I think that really was a launchpad for some of the current dialogue,” Vaughn said. “And just based on what I’ve heard, the interest is really continuing into next session and has continued in the interim.”
Vaughn said she’s heartened by Kelly’s commitment to water policy and the Kansas Water Authority’s recommendation that the state move away from its de facto policy of depleting the aquifer.
