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Session of 2000
          Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 1638                     By Senators Ranson, Barone, Becker, Brownlee, Clark, Donovan, Dow-                 ney, Emert, Feleciano, Gilstrap, Gooch, Goodwin, Harrington, Hen-
                sley, Jones, Jordan, Kerr, Langworthy, Lawrence, Oleen, Petty, Prae-
                ger, Pugh, Salisbury, Salmans, Steffes, Steineger, Stephens, Tyson,
                Vidricksen and Vratil
                2-4          

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14             A  CONCURRENT RESOLUTION to protect sensitive groundwater ar-
15             eas from swine waste pollution.
16      
17             WHEREAS,  The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has
18       adopted specific requirements for certain swine facilities in sensitive
19       groundwater areas of the state; and
20             WHEREAS,  These sensitive groundwater areas, as defined by the
21       Kansas Corporation Commission, provide water essential for drinking,
22       irrigation, recreation, stock watering and other purposes; and
23             WHEREAS,  Kansas State University has been authorized by the Sec-
24       retary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to study
25       the actual and potential impacts of seepage from swine waste lagoons in
26       Kansas; and
27             WHEREAS,  In June of 1999 the Kansas Geological Survey reported
28       that nitrate levels in most wells sampled in western and south-central
29       Kansas have increased; and
30             WHEREAS,  Preliminary reports from the Kansas State University sci-
31       entists associated with the aforementioned studies report potential threats
32       from swine waste lagoons to the integrity of sensitive groundwater areas
33       in Kansas; and
34             WHEREAS,  The Kansas Legislature shares the concerns of local
35       elected officials, groundwater management district officials and Kansas
36       citizens reliant on water from these sensitive groundwater areas that these
37       areas are not polluted from swine waste lagoons: Now, therefore,
38             Be it resolved by the Senate of the State of Kansas, the House of Rep-
39       resentatives concurring therein: That the Legislature requests that the
40       Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment refrain
41       from issuing any further permits for swine operations located over sen-
42       sitive groundwater areas until such time as the Secretary can be assured
43       by scientific research from the Kansas State University swine lagoon pro-
44       ject that the location of swine waste lagoons over sensitive groundwater

2
  1       areas do not pose a threat to those sensitive groundwater areas; and
  2             Be it further resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to pro-
  3       vide an enrolled copy of this resolution to the Secretary of the Kansas
  4       Department of Health and Environment, to Charles Benjamin, Kansas
  5       Natural Resource Council and Kansas Sierra Club, 401 Boulder,
  6       Lawrence, KS 66049 and to Jeff Roberts, Chairperson, Regional Eco-
  7       nomic Area Partnership, Hugo Wall Center for Urban Studies, Wichita
  8       State University, 1845 Fairmount, Wichita, Kansas 67260.
  9      
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