U.S. Representative Jake LaTurner and other representatives introduced the Voluntary Groundwater Conservation Act to give family farmers and ranchers the flexibility they need to protect groundwater sources while keeping their agricultural lands in production. With the ongoing drought in Kansas putting strain on groundwater supply, including the Ogallala Aquifer, the legislation would enable farmers and ranchers to join voluntary water conservation programs. The act would create a new Groundwater Conservation Easement Program at USDA to encourage voluntary, compensated reductions in groundwater consumption on agricultural land and advance local, regional or state groundwater management goals; guarantee long-term management flexibility for a producer to continue farming and choose how they reduce their water use, as long as they conserve the amount they’ve committed to reducing each year; make certain farmers are fairly compensated using a payment based on the market value for the water right instead of a per acre payment, among other things. The bill has bipartisan support in both houses of Congress
