In politics, there are many artificial divides: liberal and conservative, rural and urban, insiders and outsiders, past and future. When we are faced with problems of extreme gravity, though, we often stand united and work together. In Kansas, water is one of these issues that calls us to action.
Through our bipartisan work on the Kansas House Water Committee, my co-authors and I have learned about the alarming decline in the quantity and quality of water in our state.
The Ogallala Aquifer is rapidly depleting. At current rates of extraction, some areas of the aquifer only have 20 to 25 years of usable life remaining, while others are already depleted. Key reservoirs are losing significant levels of storage capacity to sedimentation, and our aging water infrastructure needs an update.
The future of water in Kansas impacts all of us. Farmers in western Kansas need the aquifer to grow their crops. Our cities and towns need reservoirs and reliable infrastructure to supply water and mitigate extreme weather events. Because of decisions made in the past, the fate of these necessities is at risk.
Today, we are faced with a fundamental choice. We can either point fingers, do nothing and allow further depletion of our water resources, or we can come together and take responsibility for the future we choose to create.
Ways to solve water quantity issues already exist. This August, our committee visited Garden City, where we saw some of these methods in action. We heard from farmers who are part of local conservation agreements to limit the use of groundwater, often in exchange for greater flexibility of that usage. We also saw water technology farms, where advanced irrigation technologies are used to precisely measure and apply water for maximum efficiency. Farmers utilizing these tools have achieved a 20% reduction in water usage or more, while also maintaining or increasing their crop yields and cash flow.
We learned about the Army Corps of Engineers’ Water Injection Dredge pilot project at Tuttle Creek Lake, which is designed to fluidize the reservoir sediment so it creates a “density current” and flows by gravity out the bottom of the dam. Combined with stream bank stabilization in priority watersheds, this project has the potential to be an effective long-term solution to reservoir sediment management in Kansas.
ONE OF THE biggest roadblocks to all these projects has been funding. The State Water Plan Fund, which is supposed to receive $8 million per year, has been underfunded by more than $80 million since 1991. We are thrilled that this year’s budget includes a recommendation to fund it fully for the first time in 15 years. It is important we use this chance to identify a long-term, protected source of funding for the future of water in Kansas.
We also need to pass legislation that will address the underlying reasons for our current dilemma. Our committee is now focused on this task. The state has a duty to balance the beneficial use of water for municipalities, irrigation and industry with public and future interests.
We need to do everything we can to ensure that our families, communities and farmers have the water they need for generations to come.
To better manage and protect this precious resource, we need to raise the profile of water in Kansas; invest more in water programs, technologies and education; increase opportunities for citizen engagement and implement multifaceted conservation plans in areas where groundwater is running out. As we propose and work bills in our committee this session, we want to hear from you and your communities. Practical solutions exist to address the water crisis in our state. We have an historic opportunity now to implement them and make them count.
Kansas waters have always been a blessing. They are a gift from the earth that allows dreams to take root in unexpected places. They have helped Kansas become a frontier of possibility and a breadbasket of the world, and they are fundamental to our identity. It is time that we come together as an entire state to save our water, ourselves, and our future.
About the author: Lindsay Vaughn represents District 22 in the Kansas House of Representatives, where she is ranking member of the Kansas House Water Committee. She co-authored this with state Reps. Ron Highland and Boyd Orr, the chair and vice chair of the committee. To learn more about how to get involved with the Kansas House Water Committee and offer testimony, email committee assistant Tony Prohaska at Tony.Prohaska@house.ks.gov.
