by By Calen Moore
People in the agriculture industry are still looking for local solutions to save what is left of the Ogallala aquifer that supports western Kansas. But systemic challenges are making it a slow effort.
LIBERAL, Kansas — Through the parched region of the High Plains that lives and dies by groundwater, states are paying attention to western Kansas to see how farmers are managing with less water.
Farmers are increasingly feeling the pressure to find answers to an emptying aquifer as more of their irrigation wells that give the state an abundance of grain and power the economy run dry.
But there are some areas that are starting to see success with local solutions.
Katie Durham, a groundwater district manager, said it’s time to start having difficult conversations with neighbors and industry partners to see actual improvement to the aquifer.
“If we do not do something, we are not going to be here, and we need people to understand what we could do if we stretch that resource,” Durham said.
Roughly 200 conservationists, academics and farmers shared their hopes, concerns and expertise earlier this month at the 2024 Ogallala Aquifer Summit in Liberal, Kansas. Their conclusion: Preserving the status quo is dangerous, and a promising way to move forward is through what’s known as Local Enhanced Management Area plans, or LEMAs.
According to the Kansas Geological Survey, the only option Kansans have as of now to extend the life of the aquifer is to reduce water pumping.
Keep reading at KCUR.
