Letter of the Week: Importance of clean water for life

Water’s importance

Water is vital to all known forms of life. Excessive or polluted water kills all known forms of life.

Significant water issues confront Kansans. They include declining levels in the High Plains’ Ogallala Aquifer, declining water-storage and flood-control capacities at reservoirs, and declining water quality in rivers, lakes and reservoirs.

These issues lower the water security for Kansans. They must be resolved, regardless of the state general fund’s precarious fiscal condition.

Candidates for the Kansas Legislature are campaigning throughout their districts. These issues exist in their districts.

Candidates and voters can obtain more information about the issues at the Kansas Water Office website (kwo.org). For regional water goals, click “RAC” and locate on the map the regional planning area in which you live.

Voters can use the information to inform themselves and to ask candidates about their positions on the issues and the goals for resolving them. Water security for Kansans depends on informed candidates and voters.

Allyn O. Lockner of Topeka is a retired economist and certified public manager. He received his doctorate from the University of Colorado-Boulder in 1960, taught economics at South Dakota State University and was appointed secretary of environmental protection in South Dakota. He formerly served as director of the Kansas Water Office. He retired from state government in 2001.

This story was originally published July 24, 2016 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Letter of the Week: Importance of clean water for life."