House committee advances bills to conserve water in Ogallala Aquifer

The Ogallala Aquifer, which stretches across several Plains states, is the largest underground store of fresh water in the country.

By

State News

February 16, 2023 - 4:38 PM

The Kansas House Water Committee passed two bills to provide funding to projects and push local officials to conserve the Ogallala Aquifer. Photo by (Bill Johnson/Kansas Geological Survey)

Members of a Kansas House committee on Thursday passed legislation meant to push officials in western Kansas to come up with ideas to conserve water in the disappearing Ogallala Aquifer.

The legislation — along with a bill dedicating sales tax revenue to fund water projects — passed the House Water Committee on a voice vote with little opposition. It now moves to the full Kansas House of Representatives for consideration.

Both bills represent a leap forward for the committee, which began studying water issues in Kansas and suggesting possible solutions to the near-crisis state of the Ogallala two years ago.

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