At aquifer summit, Kansas governor calls for law changes before redistricting cuts rural influence

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback told a summit he called on the future of the Ogallala Aquifer yesterday that state law needs to be changed to protect it before redistricting reduces the influence of rural areas. "What remains to be seen, however, is what changes are needed," reports Mike Corn of the Hays Daily News.

The aquifer, which Corn notes is "the underground water supply that serves as the lifeblood for agriculture in the western third of the state," has been dropping much faster than it has been replenished by rain and snow in recent years. "Tests in January showed the aquifer had dropped more than five feet in some Kansas locations in a single year," Ken Anderson of Brownfield Network reports. "Officials say the aquifer generally recharges only a half-inch a year."