Ag producers are the backbone of the South Plains economy. Many were in attendance to hear the fate of their future water usage. The High Plains Underground Water District One took comments regarding new conservation regulations that were instated in January. This controversial issue could not be decided in one day. District board members voted to enact a two year moratorium on the regulations, meaning farmers and producers in the water district will not have to adhere to the restrictions or be penalized during the reprieve. The Protect Your Water Rights Coalition said it is a small victory, but it is not over.
"The hope is that we will be able to work with them within the next however long of a period, short of 2 years, but sooner than later, to set up a meeting in the near future to sit down and talk about a plan of how we can address some of these restriction issues," said, Protect Water Rights Coalition Attorney, Mike McCauley.
While HPWD said these regulations are meant to conserve groundwater and the Ogallala Aquifer. Kirby Lewis, Founder of the Protect Water Rights Coalition said not only do these restrictions violate civil rights, he said they are unnecessary.
“Well, it's our livelihoods at stake, it truly is,” Lewis said. “These areas where we're gonna be heavily impacted by these regulations, a lot of guys livelihood's will be at stake. You know it's like we reiterated, we're not against conservation. We just, farmers out here, we want to have the ability to make a crop without the threat of financial ruin from these rules that they are putting on us."
Producers will not be fined for using groundwater in excess of the allowable production rate for the calendar years 2012 and 2013.
