Irrigation transformed arid western Kansas. But it won't be the savior forever.

Farmers know this. They know the Ogallala Aquifer has declined as much as 60 feet in places and is headed for complete depletion, in some places sooner rather than later.

But they don't seem to want to hear what the real solution is.

Irrigation made possible the cultivation of corn where the climate otherwise would not have supported it. That corn is now like gold, high demand for biofuels such as ethanol helping drive up its prices.

Last year was a record year for planting corn in Kansas with 3.9 million acres producing 518 million bushels of corn. Just as much will be planted this year.

Growing corn takes water, and growing more corn is accelerating the depletion of the Ogallala, which has been steadily declining since, well, since irrigation farming began more than 50 years ago.

The strain on the country's crop production system and water consumption are two reasons ethanol is receiving more scrutiny.

But western Kansas faces the specter of depletion of its groundwater resources no matter what happens with the biofuels movement.

State water regulators talk about new, more drought-tolerant corn varieties and about voluntary water reduction programs.

But dryland corn varieties already exist. And apparently not enough money exists to pay farmers enough to abandon irrigation. The state's buyout program was meager, it presently has been cut from the budget, and given the high corn prices, farmers aren't too interested anyway.

The economics haven't helped the prospects of a water rights buyout program.

No, we need state leadership to show some fortitude and western Kansas leaders to show some responsibility. It makes no sense for legislators to create ways around local water conservation districts for irrigation farmers, nor to build a giant recreational lake in the middle of western Kansas.

If we finally can agree that the looming expiration of groundwater in Kansas is a serious reality, then we need to consider how we really retire water rights. Given that the state is responsible for this problem because it overappropriated water rights for irrigation, now the state must face rescinding those water rights -- involuntarily if necessary.

Homeowners in arid climates are forced to conserve when droughts imperil municipal water reserves. Why shouldn't we expect the same for irrigators -- who account for 90 percent of water consumption -- when the wells are going dry?

Editorial by the Hutchinson News