Sustainability and idiocy?
I would like to respond to Adam Conkey's article "Sustainable idiocy" in the March 5 Hays Daily News. I would first like to state that in 1983 the city of Hays consumed 3,600 acre-feet of water. In 2009, the city of Hays consumed 2,000 acre-feet of water. Please take a moment to ponder those numbers.
In the article, Conkey laments the over-appropriation and over-usage of water in western Kansas. Conkey takes the large irrigators and livestock producers to task for their water-hungry practices. The interesting part is that he also lumps the city of Hays in with these industries.
Conkey states: "We can only conclude that major users of water such as the City of Hays and livestock producers will increasingly fight over the remnants of the Ogallala Aquifer." While I agree that the Ogallala is being depleted in an unsustainable manner, it is not due to the city of Hays. We get no water, and have no plans to get water, from the Ogallala. Also, the average irrigator uses the same amount of water as the city of Hays. However, our usage benefits 20,000 citizens and another 10,000 visitors each day.
Conkey then chastises the city of Hays for its use of eminent domain in order to acquire water rights and the depletion of Cedar Bluff Reservoir. The city of Hays has not used eminent domain in order to acquire water rights. Recently, the city used eminent domain in order to gain access to water that it already owned. The city does not own rights in Cedar Bluff Reservoir. The city has not called for a release of water from Cedar Bluff Reservoir. Therefore, I am not sure how the city is adding to the depletion of the reservoir.
Lastly, Conkey states "the city of Hays is bordering on criminal depletion of a water resource." Let's revisit the numbers I mentioned previously. In 1983, the city of Hays used 3,600 acre-feet of water. In 2009, the city of Hays consumed 2,000 acre-feet of water. We are using less water now than in the 1970s. The city of Hays consumes 95 gallons per person, per day. We are by far the state leader in water conservation. By comparison, Garden City uses 196 gpppd, Liberal uses 176 gpppd, Dodge City uses 259 gpppd, WaKeeney uses 189 gpppd.
The city of Hays has given away more than $100,000 for the purchase of low-flow toilets, more than $50,000 for high-efficiency washing machines, and more than 8,000 low-flow shower heads. The city commission has incorporated water-saving measures in the code of ordinances and building code.
The city irrigates most of its ball fields, soccer fields, golf course, Larks Park and will irrigate the new sports complex with effluent water. That means that additional water is not needed for these endeavors.
In reading Conkey's article, I think he needs to look up the definition of sustainability. Sustainability is the practice of taking a valuable resource and making it last as long as possible by efficient usage practices. That is exactly what the city of Hays has done with its valuable water resources. All of the above-mentioned information is public record. I would have been happy to discuss the issue in detail with Conkey, had he chosen to call. Conkey wants to somehow punish our citizens for their wasteful ways. I think our citizens should be applauded for their approach to water conservation and the fact that, through a community-wide effort, we are No. 1 in the state for water conservation.
As a regular reader of this paper, I have seen several writers take Conkey to task for his opinions simply based on his age and lack of "life experience." I do not feel this is correct. Young people have opinions, and I had many when I was young. That being said, I feel that Conkey does not bolster his credibility as a writer when he publishes articles where it is obvious that he did not research the subject before developing his opinion. To me, that is borderline idiocy.
Toby Dougherty,
Hays city manager