By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Water is easy to take for granted - until it's no longer there. Over the past years, many organizations submitted ways for the state to conserve and improve water resources. Those ideas became the Kansas Water Plan (KWP) that was adopted in 2022. Monday at the Great Bend Senior Center, Barton County Conservation District Manager Veronica Coons explained what the KWP means for Barton County in an event co-hosted by the League of Women Voters.
"It's not law," Coons said. "It's a plan, and it's a voluntary plan, so all the efforts going into it are voluntary efforts. The big thing we're trying to do is do more outreach, more education to help people understand the importance of adopting some of the things we're looking at to help conserve and protect our water resources here."
The KWP has five guiding principles that include securing, protecting, and restoring Kansas reservoirs and reducing vulnerability to extreme events. Right now, most of the state is classified as at least abnormally dry, with exceptional drought affecting some 50 counties. Ideas like using less water to irrigate lawns and using moisture sensors on crops can help conserve water.
"We definitely need to conserve water, but it's not something we predict is going to be forever," Coons said. "We're not in a forever drought or anything. It's always going to be important to conserve water. It's always going to be important to protect the quality of the water, whether you're in a drought or a flood cycle. Becoming aware of that is important for everybody."
Read the 2022 Kansas Water Plan in its entirety HERE.