Following a presentation at Thursday’s commission meeting on the water release from Cedar Bluff, Hays City Commissioners discussed the hard work required to make the difficult decision to request water from the artificial recharge pool.

City Manager Toby Dougherty reminded commissioners that the city has had the legal right to ask for the water since 2004.

City Commissioner Henry Schwaller emphatically told the panel, “Russell owns that water!  It is their water and it is not owned by Trego County, it is not the property of WaKeeney!  The residents and citizens of Russell bought and paid for that water! It is theirs and nobody else. The United States Government built that reservoir. The water does not belong to a particular community it belongs to everyone.”