An Economic Impact Analysis of a Proposed Local Enhanced Management Area for Groundwater Management District #4
Kellen Liebsch, Westmoreland, KS, defended her thesis, “An Economic Impact Analysis of a Proposed Local Enhanced Management Area for Groundwater Management District #4” on February 22. She is an Economist for the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Liebsch will be a spring graduate from Kansas State University with a Master of Agribusiness (MAB) degree.
Western Kansas, an area of extensive agricultural production, relies on irrigation technology for crop production. However, current projections indicate that without the implementation of conservation practices to save the water from the Ogallala Aquifer used for this irrigation, the Aquifer could be depleted by 2060. By instituting a district-wide Local Enhanced Management Area (LEMA) for Groundwater Management District (GMD) #4, groundwater use could be reduced, helping to preserve the viability of the Ogallala Aquifer in the northeastern corner of the state. Through her thesis, Liebsch researched the economic impact of this proposed LEMA.
“Water conservation is important to the state, especially in the western counties. I hope that findings from my research relative to a proposed LEMA in Groundwater Management District #4 will provide a basis for proactive conservation” Liebsch said.
Using economic analysis software, Liebsch derived multiple scenarios regarding the economic influence of the proposed LEMA. Each scenario yielded different results, and provided a variety of examples as to how the economy could potentially be affected by the LEMA. Ultimately, her research measured the economic impact related to employment and total output in the GMD #4 study area.
Dr. Bill Golden, Research Assistant Professor, MAB alumnus and Liebsch’s thesis advisor, said, “As conservation of groundwater becomes a basic factor in western Kansas, this is vitally important in understanding the economic impact to the rural economy.”
The full thesis publication can be found online on Kansas State University’s Research Exchange at http://hdl.handle.net/2097/38673.
