Drought and floods: how Kansas is protecting water for producers

News

Drought and floods: how Kansas is protecting water for producers

Farmers and ranchers in parts of Kansas are trying to secure access to water while others face the threat of floods.

Governor Laura Kelly says producers in Western Kansas are running out of water because the Ogallala Aquifer is being depleted. “We’ve been working with our farmers and ranchers over the last few years to really help them find modified ways to produce crops so that they lessen the need and use of water.”

She tells Brownfield she’s fully funded the state’s water plan to sustain the Aquifer. “That would include dredging in our reservoirs to increase capacity, working with our farmers, ranchers and researchers to come up with different agricultural methods and crops to allow our water to be a resource for years to come.”

Kelly says she hopes to avoid another 2019 disaster in Eastern Kansas by working with Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri, “to look at ways that we can modify waterflow from the north through our rivers to make sure we do as little damage as possible when the high rains come.”

She says water issues are her top concern for producers in Kansas and will continue to help mitigate flooding and water shortages.

.