March 2024

A proverbial Who’s Who of water management in the High Plains region is expected for the 2024 Ogallala Aquifer Summit, set for March 18 to 19 at the Seward County Fairgrounds in Liberal.The conference marks the third time that an inter-disciplinary group of water specialists, users, regulators and others from eight states will gather to discuss the condition of the mighty Ogallala, a vast underground reservoir that covers 174,000 square miles and touches parts of South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas.“One of the key values that I see to the Ogallala Aquifer Summit is the opportunity to hear from other states on the condition of the aquifer in their region, discuss shared challenges and learn ideas that may be adapted to Kansas in order to improve our water management,” said Susan Metzger, director of the Kansas Center for Agricultural Resources and the Environment, and the Kansas Water Institute at Kansas State University.Registration is available online at www.irrigationinnovation.org/2024-ogallala-summit.

The Tri-County Tribune will move to a Thursday distribution date starting the week of March 18, due to changing print schedules at the Hutchinson Press, which is now owned by CherryRoad Media.This new print date means that all copy desired for that week’s publication is due on Monday instead of the Friday before, and the major production/design day will be Tuesday instead of Monday each week.