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Page 2 of 2 <br />The various water ideas need to be fleshed out early on in public debate around the state with the <br />hope of bringing "a united voice" on possible solutions to lawmakers in Topeka, she said. Otherwise, <br />special- interest groups in the capital tend to shape discussion. <br />Among specific issues that need to be addressed, said Rep. Joann Freeborn, R- Concordia, is a water - <br />conservation plan that would grant incentives to farmers to encourage them to make a transition <br />from irrigated to dryland operations. Setting aside how incentives would be funded, she said, such <br />issues as the potential impact of such a changeover on local property valuations and property tax <br />bases need to be clarified. <br />"That sort of discussion needs to take place locally," she said. <br />Whatever the case, Johnson said the water topic is polarizing, and finding a grand fix that pleases all <br />is probably a pipe dream. <br />"No matter what we do, there are going to be people saying we screwed up," he said. <br />< return to original_page <br />Copyright 2003 The Hutchinson News <br />http: / /www.dailynews. net / hutchinson /cgi- bin/printerpage.pl 8/23/2004 <br />