Southwest Kansas might take a big step toward water conservation in ways previously thought to be impossible. Groundwater Management District 3, headquartered in Garden City, is looking for feedback from local farmers on its plan to use less water for crop irrigation in the region. A discussion on proposed water cuts recently attracted farmers from counties across the southwest part of the state, who filled a small community building. Trevor Ahring, civil engineer for the district, told the sea of Kansas State University baseball caps and flannel shirts the details of the plan – all with the objective of easing the strain on the Ogallala Aquifer, which stretches from South Dakota to Texas. “Our goals are to stabilize the aquifer over the course of 20 years; that’s a 27.7% reduction in use in this area,” Ahring said. For the first time, the groundwater management district is proposing potentially significant water cuts, reducing water pumping by 5% each year for the next 20 years. Farmers are ready to do the work, but these kinds of changes are not going to come easy, and there is still a lot of pushback.
Read more: The Iola Register
