Thursday, October 25, 2012: 11:30 a.m.
The Ogallala–High Plains aquifer is the primary source of water for all uses in western Kansas, and has been key to the impressive agricultural production in western Kansas. Highly developed, the aquifer is a mosaic of variable, yet substantial, groundwater depletions with a few regions retaining significant reserves. Since 2001, Kansas’ state policy is to conserve and extend the useful life of the Ogallala aquifer. The past decade brought further aquifer characterization, additional water use data, expansion of more efficient irrigation systems, and a few new conservation programs. However, relatively minor actual water savings have been achieved. In 2011, a new Ogallala Aquifer Initiative began with the Governor’s Economic Summit on the Ogallala, and appointment of the Ogallala Aquifer Advisory Committee (OAAC). Five pieces of water legislation were passed in 2012, with the support of the OAAC. Current efforts support development of sub-regional, locally defined groundwater conservation plans, which when adopted and implemented by order of the Chief Engineer, Division of Water Resources, have the force of law. Local leadership and stakeholder involvement in developing and supporting conservation plans will be pivotal to long-term management of the Ogallala aquifer.
