Streaming about water

Officials commit online to preserve, enhance priceless resource to citizens, state’s economy

State leaders recently gathered virtually and renewed vows to protect and improve the most essential natural resource other than air in Kansas.

Pandemic concerns pushed the ninth annual Governor’s Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas, behind computer screens.

“Kansas needs to be prepared. We need to adapt our approach,” said Gov. Laura Kelly in a statement, referring to the effects of quickly changing extremes.

The range in just a couple of years has been huge, according to Brad Loveless, Kansas secretary of Wildlife Parks & Tourism. From nearly 250 days of extreme flooding in 2019 closely followed by present drought conditions. Others pointed out the continued issue of excessive sedimentation in reservoirs.

“The theme through this year’s conference was adaptability, innovation and resiliency,” said Connie Owen, chair of the Kansas Water Authority that is an advisory board working with, and is part of, the Kansas Water Office.

Much information pertains to “daunting problems” with the supply and quality of water in Kansas, she said, both surface water and groundwater. 

“The future of the water supply, especially during drought, requires that we take this issue seriously,” Kelly read from her statement.

Continued declines in the massive Ogallala Aquifer that has kept semi-arid western Kansas green for much of a century, is a continued concern to citizens and the economies of the state, especially agriculture.

Kelly called for statewide efforts to conserve the resource—perhaps through more Local Enhanced Management Areas—and increased technology.

“We’re still depleting a finite water resource faster than nature can recharge it,” the governor said. “Water affects every single area of our lives, and it must be protected.”

State officials drove home the importance of water on many levels—from agriculture, to manufacturing and recreation.

“Water-related challenges are far reaching,” said David Toland, Kansas secretary of commerce.

“Dwindling supply, water conservation and preservation and water quality, demands our attention,” he said.

The commerce department has sent nearly $25 million to communities for improvements. Toland praised others in the state whom pursue water saving projects.

“Investing in water is good business,” he said, enforcing the need to “conserve and sustain our most precious resource. Our state’s future depends on it.”

Flooding last year reduced or closed access to boat ramps, docks, camping, restrooms and other amenities and did “just shy” of $10 million in damage, Loveless said.

“We’re working hard to correct those, to replace and repair,” he said. “It’s good we did. COVID has increased use of facilities. Governor Kelly said it was important to stay open during the spring, summer and fall and we had record usage. It’s been a really big year.”

Loveless also gave a rundown of efforts to keep nuisance and dangerous aquatic species out of Kansas waters.

Working together is essential, said Kelsey Olson, assistant secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

“None of the water issues are easy. They’re grand in scale and in price tags,” she said. “It’s important to talk about water management collaboratively, to mitigate problems we see as we go forward with water.”

She advocates preserving natural resources and using technology to extend the life of water supplies.

“It’s important we continue to review tools we have as a state to drive change, to make sure we have tools in place,” Olson said. “Locally led initiatives and locally driven partnerships are really key. If it doesn’t make sense at the local levels, it’s not going to be implemented.”

Water quality has the attention of Tom Stiles, water bureau director at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Topping his issues list is “nutrient reduction” in water.

“It’s one category of pollutants that binds us all together—municipal wastewater, urban storm water, or agriculture producers in rural areas,” he said. “We all, to some degree, contribute nutrients. Too many nutrients create unintended consequences.”

One example is algae blooms in lakes, and there are programs that set strategies to reduce the output of nutrients, among them nitrogen and phosphorous.

“Wastewater operators see a lot of investment in treatment technology to remove (nutrients) before they enter streams,” Stiles said by Zoom video.

He promotes spending money and implementing “practices to keep those nutrients in place and not let them get into water.”

The record among more than 850 communities in Kansas is quite good with compliance, Stiles said.

“All require some degree of technology investment. Fortunately, there is financial assistance, as Secretary Toland laid out,” he said. “There is money available to bring communities into compliance.”

The conference moved to research topics to pursue solutions, Owen said, such as the benefits of raising grain sorghum that requires less moisture than corn and alfalfa, and crops that are resistant to higher salt contents in irrigation water. Salt content is an issue in some wells, she said.

“A number of our speakers addressed different aspects of farming practices that preserve soil health, improve quality and reduce water dependency,” Owen said.

Featured speaker Patrick Decker, president and CEO of Xylem, a water sustainability company based in Rye Brook, New York, addressed challenges for “smart (and resilient) water infrastructure solutions and analytics,” while creating public interest in sustaining the vital resource.

“There is more pressure on water operators and governments, people on the front lines to keep communities running and stop the spread of disease,” Decker said on Zoom.

He advocated “21st century solutions” to balance out the extremes of both not enough water and too much, and “biological nutrient removal” from water supplies.

Touting the tagline “Let’s Solve Water,” Decker said Xylem aims to work on and with every level for a safe sustainable water supply.

“We’re here to help across all these fronts, build a platform and a movement,” Decker said. “At the end of the day, this is a team sport. Nobody can do this on their own. We’re in this together.”

Presentations from the ninth annual Governor’s Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas, will be made available online at kwo.ks.gov. Email questions to kwo-[email protected], or call the Kansas Water Office at 785–296-3185 or toll free at 1-888-526-9283.