This issue of Irrigation Leader focuses on groundwater: how it is managed in different states as well as some innovative programs and technologies for its conservation. Mr. C.E. Williams, general manager of the Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District in Texas, tells us about his district’s efforts to manage and sustain its supplies for as long as possible. “You need to get your conservation programs implemented and moving forward. Time is clicking and working against you,” is his advice to other groundwater managers. Mr. Lyndon Vogt, general manager of the Central Platte Natural Resources District in Nebraska, discusses his district’s efforts to develop a market for leasing groundwater. This electronic market is an interesting experiment because it only allows buyers and sellers that are already certified for groundwater use within the district’s boundaries to participate. Mr. Paul Jewell, commissioner of District 1 in Kittitas County, Washington, shares the history and development of a different water market and banking system in the Yakima River basin. General Manager Tim Boese of the Equus Bed Groundwater Management District No. 2 in Kansas describes his district’s unique situation. Finally, Mr. Randy Ray, general manager of the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District, has some of the best advice for any water professional, “Open communication. You have to be able to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Don’t take for granted what you think the other person’s needs are. If you know what they need, a lot of times you can come up with some resolution.”

Regarding technology, I urge you to read about Dragon-Line, which combines the two most efficient advances in irrigation technology, center pivot and drip line. This is one of the more innovative technologies in recent years, with the potential for dramatic groundwater conservation.

Kris Polly is editor-in-chief of Irrigation Leader magazine and president of Water Strategies LLC, a government relations firm he began in February 2009 for the purpose of representing and guiding water, power, and agricultural entities in their dealings with Congress, the Bureau of Reclamation, and other federal government agencies. He may be contacted at Kris.Polly@waterstrategies.com.