MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) –  Gov. Sam Brownback says Kansas has to make changes to address concerns over the state’s water supply.

Brownback told about 600 participants in the state’s annual water conference Wednesday in Manhattan that the time has come to make changes to extend life of the underground Ogallala Aquifer and to rehabilitate silted reservoirs to preserve the state’s water resource.

Brownback says he intends water preservation to be part of his legacy as governor.

He also says wells that enable irrigation of crops, withdrawal for business use and pumping for the drinking supply were depleting the aquifer at an unsustainable rate and that work begins soon on a $25 million project to dredge the John Redmond Reservoir, which has lost considerable water storage capacity to silt.

—

Associated Press Information from: The Topeka Capital-Journal