Kansas Water Office - State of Kansas

157th Committee Meeting
Oct. 30-November 1, 2007
Branson, Missouri 

Reservoir Protection, Restoration and Management

Kansas has 24 federal reservoirs, 20 of which provide some type of public water supply function.  Thirteen of these reservoirs are included in the State Water Marketing and Water Assurance programs.  In January 2007, the Kansas Water Authority initiated a strategic planning process to address several broad water related issues.  Surface water management and reservoir sedimentation were selected as initial issues to address.   Based on some preliminary analysis, shortages could be experienced during drought conditions in some areas served by federal reservoirs within the next decade.  Several state level activities have been initiated to address these issues. 

The Kansas Water Office received funding in FY 2007 and FY 2008 for a state bathymetric mapping program with the Kansas Biological Survey to begin surveying federal reservoirs and small lakes in Kansas.  The program is intended to be an ongoing program with reservoirs resurveyed on a routine basis to monitor the loss of storage space due to sedimentation.

The Kansas Water Resources Institute is coordinating the development of a series of white papers to address a variety of statewide sediment management issues that were identified through an interagency coordination effort.  The white papers will be used to prepare a coordinated research agenda to address priority sediment management issues.  

On October 17, 2007, a Reservoir Summit was held in Lawrence, Kansas to discuss the need for potential changes to current federal and state policies and programs to better meet the challenges for managing federal reservoirs in Kansas to meet current and future demands.  Representatives from several state and federal agencies, Congressional offices, state legislators, and various stakeholder organizations participated in the summit.  Potential policy and program changes will continue to be examined through the State Water Planning Process.

$2.6 million in state cost-share funding was approved in FY 2008 for a pilot dredging project through the State Multipurpose Small Lakes Program.  The pilot project selected was Mission Lake, a small municipal lake located in Brown County, which will serve as a public water supply source for the City of Horton after renovation.   

The Kansas Water Office has initiated a feasibility study with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District, to examine reservoir restoration and protection options for John Redmond reservoir.  The KWO also plans to work with the Kansas District Corps on a study to evaluate stream bank protection needs above federal reservoirs in the Kansas River basin through the Planning Assistance to States Program.  In 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey completed a sediment source study in northeast Kansas to determine sources of sediment in selected reservoirs.  This report is available online at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2007/5020/. 

In FY 2008, the Kansas Watershed Restoration and Protection Program (KS-WRAPS) received an additional $821,000 in funding to support implementation of local WRAPS projects.  The KS-WRAPS program provides funding to local watershed groups for watershed development, assessment, planning and implementation projects.  Watersheds above federal public water supply reservoirs are identified as high priority watersheds.  In FY 2008, approximately $1.6 million in state funding and an additional $1.2 million in federal funding are available to support this program.   These funds are administered by the KS Dept of Health and Environment and the State Conservation Commission.  Additional information is available at:  www.kswraps.org.

Ozark Aquifer Management

Federal and state funding have been secured to complete a regional groundwater study and model development for the regional Ozark Aquifer in southeast Kansas, southwest Missouri and northeast Oklahoma being conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey.  The study, which began in 2006, is scheduled for completion in spring 2009.  The information obtained from this study will be used to assess the future availability of groundwater in southeast Kansas and the need for continuation of a current moratorium on new groundwater rights in this area. 

Upper Arkansas River CREP

A voluntary program that pays irrigators to stop pumping will slow the drain on the aquifer and river along the upper Arkansas River valley.  The aquifer and river system has experienced decades of decline from extensive periods of low to no flows across the Colorado - Kansas state line and intensive irrigation instate that has lowered the water table.  Kansas will offer a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), a federal-state-local program to address natural resource concerns, in this case, water conservation, with benefits to water quality and wildlife habitat.  Kansas is the 30th state to implement a CREP.

This CREP can enroll 20,000 acres.  With full enrollment, federal rental payments to farmers will exceed $30 million, and state upfront payments will add another $1 million.  An estimated 29,750 acre feet of water will be conserved annually.

Eligible land within the project area can be enrolled for 14 to 15 years.  There are a number of eligibility requirements, including a water right must be in good standing, and have had at least 50% of its allocation used in any three years from 2001-2005.  This is to assure conservation of water that otherwise was going to be pumped.  The water right must be permanently retired, and the land put into a conservation program for the life of the CREP contract.

Enrollment is on a first come basis, and is limited to 5,000 acres per county.  Currently, the program enrollment ends on June 30, 2008, unless authority to extend state payments into FY2009 is approved.   Enrollment will begin once an agreement is signed by Governor Sebelius and the USDA.  Farmers have already contacted the Groundwater Management Districts and USDA-Farm Service Agency about enrollment.

Tamarisk Control

In August 2007, a partnership formed to develop a strategic plan for the Upper Arkansas River’s (in Colorado) riparian areas impacted by non-native invasive trees, principally tamarisk and Russian olive.  This partnership, known as the Arkansas River Watershed Invasive Plant (ARKWIP) Plan, was initiated in Bent County, Colorado through the leadership of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District.    Many state and federal agencies, local communities, private landowners, and non-governmental organizations have cooperated to draft this plan. 

The ARKWIP plan was developed to geographically focus on the entire Arkansas River basin from the continental divide to the Kansas state line.  The plan represents the fundamental backbone for riparian restoration throughout southeastern Colorado.  Kansas Water Office staff have attended some of the planning meetings (by phone or in person) for the ARKWIP plan so the plan can compliment the goals of the Kansas Statewide Tamarisk plan.  As part of the partnerships developed through this planning effort, Kansas and Colorado seek to implement a tamarisk control project on either side of the state lines in state FY09.  If the project is successful, we would like to seek federal funding for a larger scale cooperative project between Kansas and Colorado.

Weather Related Disasters

2007 has been a particularly challenging year for weather related disasters in Kansas.  Major events resulting in federal disaster declarations included:

• Winter ice storms in western Kansas affecting 44 counties (December 28-31,2006)

• Greensburg Tornado and severe storms affecting 42 counties in central and eastern Kansas (May 2007)

• Flooding in southeast Kansas affecting 33 counties (June/July 2007)

• Over $470 million in disaster assistance has been approved

2007 saw all Kansas counties removed from previous state drought stage declarations with far southwest Kansas currently experiencing some abnormally dry conditions.

Municipal Water Conservation Plan Guidelines

State guidelines for the preparation of municipal water conservation plans were updated in 2007.  Municipal water conservation plans are required for various state water supply and assistance programs (e.g. Water Marketing, Water Assurance, Multipurpose Small Lakes and Public Water Supply Loan Fund) and may be required by the Chief Engineer of the Division of Water Resources as a condition of a water right.   The guidelines are available online at:

www.kwo.org/Reports%20&%20Publications/rpt_2007%20WCP_Guidedlines_081507_ms%20.pdf.

Water Rights Administration

On June 18, 2007, David Pope retired as the Chief Engineer, Division of Water Resources, Kansas Department of Agriculture.  Pope served as the Chief Engineer for 24 years.  David Barfield is currently serving as the acting Chief Engineer for Kansas until a permanent replacement has been appointed. 

Contact Information

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