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Guymon, OK | I say Kansas's laws are strict because they are enforceable and, indeed, enforced. I guess we're supposed to be limited to two feet per year, but meters aren't required and, as of right now, there really isn't anything in place to keep anyone honest. There isn't a moratorium on new wells, either. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should keep doing things the way we've always done it, but OKC's approach to the issue is a little heavy-handed and misguided. They're demanding more water from the rest of the state, but aren't doing much to conserve their local supplies. There is a whole lot that can be done to improve surface water supplies in the middle of the state, like killing cedar trees in pastures and improving irrigation efficiency (something we Panhandlers have been doing since the early '80s), rather than forcing us to stop irrigating in order to replenish rivers that haven't flowed in my 28 years. Besides, I'm 20 miles from the Beaver River; not a bit of water I pump has any affect on it.
The problem is that the Panhandle is the exception to every rule in the State, and it's hard for people who have never been west of Woodward to understand how we do things. There used to be some sort of ad-hoc irrigation committee for the Panhandle, but it hasn't been around for a long time. Our closest representative on the OWRB is from Altus, and, from what I hear, he understands the situation better than many, but Altus is a long way from Guymon and Boise City. State Rep. Blackwell was at the meeting and he said he was going to contact the governor about appointing someone from the Panhandle to the board. He asked for volunteers, and I'm kind of kicking myself for not stepping up. Hopefully someone else will...
Edited by okpanhandle 8/20/2011 09:10
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irrigated crops failing on TX, OK
