Newsroom

KEY QUOTE: “In her second term as governor and final 18 months in public office, Gov. Laura Kelly has elevated water in Kansas to her highest priority, her ‘North Star.’ ‘All the other issues are important as well,’ she said in an interview with Hays Post, ‘but if we don't do something about water, none of that will matter in the long run.’”

Future of water is Kansas governor's 'North Star'
Becky Kiser, Hays Post
July 31, 2025

• Some areas of western Kansas dependent on the Ogallala Aquifer have fewer than 25 years of usable water left, according to the Kansas Geological Survey. More than 150 communities are at or above the acceptable nitrate levels in their drinking water.
  
  
• In the past legislative session, Kelly signed a bipartisan bill creating the Water Program Task Force. A ceremonial signing of House Bill 2172 was in Hays on July 9 in recognition of the city's long-time leadership in water conservation programs and practices.
  
  
• The new task force met for the first time on July 21 in Topeka. It is charged with developing a long-term sustainable strategy for dealing with water that also includes a dedicated funding source.
  
  
• The governor, who is not a member of the task force, wants to see a more efficient and streamlined process of dealing with water management in Kansas. She likens the idea to the state's comprehensive highway program created almost 40 years ago.
  
  
• "Just like roads and bridges, water is not something you can fund on a year-in and year-out basis. It's got to be a long-term guaranteed funding structure so that projects that overlap a budget year can be funded and carried through," Kelly said.
  
  
• "I'm encouraged by the progress that we've made and what is to come," Kelly said. "Now is the time to follow through and deliver a safe and resilient water supply for the generations of Kansans to come."

###