Kansas Reservoir Protection Initiative
An initiative which provides financial assistance to
landowners in priority watersheds to implement sediment-reducing conservation
practices to enhance sediment reduction efforts above federal reservoirs where
water supply storage is impacted by sedimentation. Initiative funding
is currently targeted above Kanopolis, Fall River, John Redmond and Tuttle
Creek reservoirs where 37, 38, 40 and 49 percent of water supply storage has
been lost to sedimentation, respectively. Lands located in targeted
sub-watersheds in portions of Barton, Butler, Clay, Coffey, Ellsworth, Greenwood,
Lyon, Marshall, Nemaha, Pottawatomie, Riley, Russell and Washington Counties are eligible for
assistance.
Summer 2022 Initiative Media Release - Additional Sign Up
Overview
The 2022 Kansas Legislature included, in conjunction with full restoration of funding for the State Water Plan Fund, State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2023 funding for watershed conservation practice implementation. The Kansas Water Office, along with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Kansas Department of Agriculture – Division of Conservation (KDA-DOC) have developed an implementation plan for these funds to implement best management practices (BMPs) above priority water supply reservoirs where sedimentation is impacting available water storage in conjunction with local Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) projects and local county conservation districts. Priority sub-watersheds within the Tuttle Creek Lake (Kansas Region), Fall River Lake (Verdigris Region), John Redmond Reservoir (Neosho Region), and Kanopolis Lake (Smoky Hill-Saline Region) watersheds will once again be the focus of watershed BMP implementation with SFY 2023 funding. Representatives from each of the 4 Regional Advisory Committees (RACs) located in these targeted areas will participate in the evaluation of applications and provide funding recommendations on eligible applications.
Purpose
Protect water supply storage and improve water quality in reservoirs across Kansas that provide water to municipal and industrial customers. This will be done through implementation of watershed BMPs within priority watersheds. These are individual or a combination of practices that are determined to be the most effective and practicable (including technological, economic, and institutional considerations) means of controlling point and non-point sources of pollution at levels compatible with resource and economic goals. BMPs which can be utilized to reduce sediment and nutrient runoff in watersheds above water supply sources in Kansas include but are not limited to terraces, grassed waterways, and buffer strips. Water storage is being diminished over time due to reservoir sedimentation. Water quality is being impacted by nutrient runoff, potentially resulting in harmful algae blooms, taste and odor issues with drinking water, and impacts to recreation in Kansas.
Eligible Areas
BMP implementation will be targeted in areas identified by using the most currently available assessment information that has been determined to yield the highest sediment reductions as well as have the highest impact on sediment inflows into these four reservoirs. See the map for targeted areas included within the Kansas Reservoir Protection Initiative for SFY 2022. Targeted areas for the SFY 2023 (July 2022) signup period will be posted in the near future.
Contacts
Landowners in eligible watersheds interested in participating in the Kansas Reservoir Protection Initiative can contact their respective County Conservation District or local Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) Project Coordinator. Please see the link at the top of the page for local program contact information. For other inquiries regarding the Kansas Reservoir Protection Initiative, please contact the Kansas Water Office at 785-296-3185 or by email at kwo-info@kwo.ks.gov.