Below the Plains: Navigating Groundwater Depletion in Kansas through Collective Action

Abstract

In the context of increasing groundwater depletion and the critical need for sustainable water management, my research examines Kansas's transition toward enhanced groundwater conservation through the lens of the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) framework. This study focuses on the roles of state actors, policy entrepreneurs, local experiments like real-world labs, and the influence of landscape factors (external pressures) and cultural values in driving sustainability transitions. Kansas, facing significant groundwater depletion, provides a compelling case to explore how conservation initiatives, such as LEMAs (Local Enhanced Management Areas), emerged and gained acceptance in a traditionally depletion-oriented agricultural regime.

Guided by the research objectives to understand how policy diffusion occurred, how actors changed roles, and the state's involvement in shaping transitions, I employed a qualitative approach. My research uses document analysis, interviews, and case studies of Kansas's Groundwater Management Districts (GMDs) and LEMA policies to investigate the factors driving the adoption of conservation measures. The case of the Sheridan 6 LEMA serves as a pivotal example of a "real-world lab" that influenced the broader adoption of conservation practices across Kansas and the subsequent passage of state legislation mandating groundwater management plans for all GMDs.

The findings reveal that real-world labs like Sheridan 6 provided empirical evidence demonstrating that conservation could be achieved without economic harm, which built trust among local stakeholders and influenced the shift from depletion to conservation practices. Landscape factors like groundwater depletion and regulatory threats interacted with cultural values like preserving family legacies and local control, pushing incumbent regime actors to adopt conservation measures. Policy entrepreneurs, including state officials and GMD staff, played a central role in framing conservation in ways that aligned with these cultural values, leveraging political opportunities, and building coalitions that supported policy change. The research also challenges traditional views of the state's passive role in transitions, illustrating how state actors actively created and nurtured niche innovations, such as LEMAs.

This research contributes to the MLP literature by addressing gaps related to the role of the state and the uneven impacts of landscape pressures and cultural values on influencing conservation behaviors across the GMDs. By integrating insights from the Kansas case, this study offers broader implications for water management in other regions. It highlights the importance of empowering policy entrepreneurs, leveraging local experiments, and understanding the interaction between landscape pressures and cultural values to drive sustainability transition.