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Schwartz, Schmidt reappointed to Kansas Water AuthorityKansas Dennis Schwartz, Tecumseh, and Gordon Schmidt, Inman, were reappointed by Governor Kathleen Sebelius to serve on the Kansas Water Authority. Schwartz, nominated by the Kansas Rural Water Association, represents public water suppliers and Schmidt represents the public. They'll each serve four-year terms that will end in 2012. Dennis Schwartz's national view of public water supply is grounded in his 32 years as general manager of Shawnee County Rural Water District No. 8. He first served on the Kansas Water Authority from 1986 to 1999 and then accepted a follow-up appointment in 2004. During his break from KWA membership, he led the National Rural Water Association as its president from 2000 to 2002. He is the president of the Kansas Rural Water Association and has been a committee member of the Water Industry Coordinating Council and the Environmental Protection Agency's National Drinking Water Advisory Council. "Water has been my career and my passion for more than 30 years," says Schwartz. "Being nominated by my peers is an honor. It also imposes a responsibility to represent the interests of public water supply systems." Membership on the Authority affords Schwartz the opportunity to work with other water stakeholders for the best management of the state's vital water resources. One of the highest priorities in eastern Kansas is assuring the quality of surface water, the primary source of municipal and industrial water in the region. As drinking water regulations become more stringent, the need to protect water sources will become even more critical. With fewer pollutants in the untreated source water, less time, energy and money will be required by utilities to treat it prior to distribution to customers. Schwartz expects the Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy to play a big part. WRAPS involves a process of engaging local watershed stakeholders to determine water resource restoration and protection needs, identify goals, determine cost effective strategies and take action. The emphasis is in the watersheds of public water supply lakes and reservoirs. In addition, work to quantify the supply and demand for water in the state's reservoirs and multipurpose lakes will be critical in meeting future public water needs, Schwartz says. He's confident that as the public learns more about the water resource challenges facing the state and plans to address them, public support will follow. He encourages anyone wanting to learn more about water resources to attend one of the quarterly meetings of the 12 local Basin Advisory Committees or the quarterly Kansas Water Authority meetings held around the state. A schedule is posted on the Kansas Water Office web site www.kwo.org Gordon Schmidt of Inman, Kan., has served on the Kansas Water Authority since 1998. He has almost 40 years of experience in agribusiness, owning and operating a diversified irrigated and dryland grain operation. "I'm privileged to serve on the Kansas Water Authority," says Schmidt. "It's a great organization with an important purpose." Through the years, Schmidt has irrigated with all manner of irrigation systems, from flood to center pivot. He was one of the first in south central Kansas to try sub-surface drip irrigation. In this system, water is distributed through irrigation tapes placed underground in the fields. Data, including precipitation, temperature and wind speed, collected from a weather station on his farm is used to help irrigators better schedule their water applications. The station is part of a Kansas State University network of stations. Schmidt also uses information from weekly checks of soil moisture to adjust the amount of irrigation water he applies to his crops. As an irrigator, he is aware of the need to balance water conservation with keeping a viable rural economy. His experience with sub-surface drip irrigation leads him to believe that the practice could potentially save water and extend the life of the Ogallala (High Plains) aquifer. The problem of sedimentation in eastern Kansas reservoirs will be an expensive one to fix. Steps taken to slow the rate of erosion from fields and stream banks probably will prove to be the best approach. "I'm concerned that with all of the other economic problems facing our country, natural resources may be shorted," Schmidt says. "We can't afford to do that." Farm policy always has held an interest for Schmidt. He has worked with the Kansas congressional delegation and farm economists and has independently developed farm policy proposals designed to afford a safety net for farmers. Schmidt has always favored "outside-the-box" thinking that produces results for farmers. 8/25/08 Date: 8/19/08
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