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Our central challenge in updating water policy is to create a sustainable water supply

A few years ago famed oilman T. Boone Pickens went public with a plan to sell water pumped from rural aquifers to urban centers at very high prices. A general sense of outrage followed. Our precious water was going to be used for personal profit, with little regard to the environment, local water needs, or the importance of water for sustaining life.

Now, years later, the same issues still confront us. Unfortunately, public policy has not responded to the challenges we face. In many places, water policy is more suited to the Wild West of long ago rather than to the present day and the central challenge of creating a sustainable water supply for the future. Rural communities in particular have an enormous stake in this debate, as many face the export of their water for the benefit of urban areas.

Much of our water policy was written in the 19th and early 20th centuries – a time when groundwater was seen as a nearly inexhaustible resource. Indeed, the issue of water and access to it is enshrined in many state constitutions. Over the past 100 years, we have come to realize that our aquifers do not contain a never-ending supply of water and that they are valuable resources that must be managed properly.

Unfortunately, in many places public policy does not reflect this new understanding. Nor is public policy addressing the challenges of a rising urban population, agricultural needs, and other demands for water; demands that could be lessened if serious and thoughtful conservation measure were in place.

Rural areas have long supplied urban areas with the resources necessary for survival, be it food, fiber, and, increasingly, energy. But all of those resources are at least theoretically renewable in the short term. Of course, we could do much more to ensure the sustainability of those production systems.

Aquifer water, on the other hand, is essentially a nonrenewable resource. Yes, aquifers do recharge – but that happens over a period of decades, centuries, or longer. Further, the science behind aquifer recharge is often poorly understood and highly localized, meaning the way in which one aquifer (or portion of an aquifer) recharges is specific to that particular location. Therefore, local authorities must be involved in any decisions regarding water use. In the end, both state and local authorities must work together to create a comprehensive water use policy that accounts for both local and statewide concerns.

Today, water is an ever-increasing source of contention and controversy. Throughout the Great Plains and Southwest, the serious discussions that have already occurred must be continued and broadened. The process of creating strong, sustainable water policy must be all-inclusive, with the rural communities most affected by such policies engaged early and often. Most important, the policies that result must include both conservation measures and a frank, realistic assessment of how we will ensure a sustainable water supply for our future.

Contact: Dan Owens, dano@cfra.org or 402.687.2103 x 1017 for more details.

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