The Ogallala water aquifer that runs through the Oklahoma Panhandle is now the target of use restrictions to farmers to the north in southwest Kansas. It’s a move that could impact water use by farmers and others in the Oklahoma Panhandle.
Managers of the historic source of water used for farming, dairy, beef and biofuels industries are proposing restrictions to the Ogallala region where less than 40% of the original water is left.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the restrictions have been proposed by the state’s Groundwater Management District 3, headquartered in Garden City. It quoted the district’s civil engineer Trevor Ahring as indicating the objective of the farming restrictions is to ease the strain on the Ogallala Aquifer which stretches from South Dakota, across Nebraska and Kansas, under the Oklahoma Panhandle and into the Texas Panhandle. It is considered a lifeline for farming operations in those areas of the states.
“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, reported the newspaper.
The management district is proposing for the first time to reduce water pumping by 5% each year for the next two decades. The report indicated that groundwater management districts in Kansas were challenged to conserve water and before a state deadline this July. If they don’t take action, the state could step in and order water use cuts itself.
The groundwater management district headquartered in Garden City proposed a Local Enhanced Management Area or LEMA that will run 25 years. The LEMA’s are legally binding plans for farmers to conserve water in the historic aquifer.
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