Plentiful rains will not be enough to replenish the Ogallala Aquifer,notes the Hays Daily News. Last week, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback paid a visit to southwest Kansas, touring the bountiful fields there. But he stressed that the recent rains are insufficient to solve the crisis. “Rain is a wonderful thing,” said Brownback, adding: “But we can’t count on that, so we have to prepare for a different horizon.” The Kansas economy is deeply dependent on water. And the Ogallala, the vast underground reservoir beneath the High Plains, is disappearing.
Last November, Brownback’s staff unveiled a plan to extend the state’s water supply. So far, about 60 percent of the plan’s first phase has begun. Some areas of the Ogallala only have ten years’ worth of resources left.