Submitted
WAKEENEY — Do you know where your water comes from? Do you know who treats that water so it is safe for you, your family, community, and/or cropping/livestock operation to use? Do you wonder how long that water supply will last? Do you wonder who is working for a long-term water supply? Do you wonder who is looking at recreational and tourism benefits of local water supplies? Do you wonder if there is enough water to maintain or grow local economies?
If you are wondering about any of these questions or others, it’s now time to attend the Regional Water Meeting in WaKeeney on Tuesday, March 3, at 1 p.m. at the Western Kansas Cooperative Electric Association Community Room. Attend and make your voice heard as the Kansas Water Authority and Kansas Water Office look to develop the regional goals for the this part of the state. Those recommended water supply goals should seek to implement the following Vision statement: Kansans act on a shared commitment to have the water resources necessary to support the state’s social, economic and natural resource needs for current and future generations.
It’s important that local citizens of all ages and interests attend this meeting. We need to provide ideas and input for maintaining current water supplies, protecting those water supplies, looking at new opportunities for future water supplies, and educating ourselves to do our part as part of the solution.
In our daily lives, many of us depend upon the technology of computers to make lives simpler and efficient, plus, many of us utilize cell phones as an extra arm to function and at times seem lost without one. Take a second and consider, what if we didn’t have a glass of water to drink, gallons of water to take showers, gallons of water to provide for our livestock, or acre feet of water to grow crops, or acre feet for boating, swimming, and fishing? In reality, we could live without our cell phones but we couldn’t live without WATER! All of these above mentioned uses of water need to be protected and secured for many years to come to save and grow the Kansas economy. We need YOU to be a part of the Vision and share your voice.
Please plan to attend the Smoky Hill/Saline Regional Water Planning Meeting on Tuesday, March 3, at the Western Cooperative Electric Association Meeting Room. Light snacks and drinks provided. For questions or to learn more prior to the meeting or to review the timeline for the goal setting process visit www.kwo.org or contact Toby Dougherty, Regional Team Chairman, (785) 628-7320, or [email protected]; Bill Scott, Regional Team Member, (785) 731-2797, or [email protected]; or Stacie Minson, KSU Watershed Specialist, (785) 769-3297, or [email protected]