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During the development of the Long-Term Vision for the Future of Water Supply in Kansas (the Vision), four themes emerged; Water Conservation, Water Management, Technology and Crop Variety and Additional Sources of Supply. These themes and the strategies within them are carried through to the current water planning process. Projects are divided into these categories, which cover both statewide and region-specific initiatives.
Water Conservation
Implement water conservation projects, water use efficiency upgrades, water management plans by water right holders, and cost-share programs within the South Fork Republican River Basin within Kansas... More
Improve water supply during dry periods along the Lower Republican River and convert portions of the remaining open irrigation canal systems to buried pipe system within the Kansas Bostwick Irrigation District. More...
Nutrient runoff within the Milford Lake watershed in Kansas is a source of nutrient loading contributing to aquatic conditions which promote formation of harmful algal blooms (HAB) within Milford Lake. This RCPP project would look to implement best management practices within the Milford Lake watershed to decrease nutrient runoff, thus decreasing the introduction of new nutrient loading contributing to the formation of HABs in Milford Lake. More...
In order to extend the economic life of the aquifer and maintain the economic base of the region, water conservation alternatives are being evaluated. Economic analyses is being conducted on the Sheridan 6 LEMA to estimate the impacts to producers, the regional economy and hydrologic impacts to the Ogallala aquifer associated within the LEMA. More...
To put tools in place, such as sediment monitoring gages, bathymetric surveys, and sediment coring to monitor sediment entering water supply reservoirs and to evaluate the benefits of sedimentation reduction practices. More...
To provide a crop insurance program that will cover producers who want to conserve water by reducing their irrigation water usage. More...
To use a portion of the damages received from Colorado for violation of the Kansas-Colorado Arkansas River Compact for the benefit of the area impacted caused by overuse of the Arkansas River water by Colorado. More...
Increase the knowledge base about Kansas’ wetland systems through surveying, monitoring, research, and assessment to establish wetland conditions, identify trends, and the causes and sources affecting wetland change. More...
Water Management
The United States Geological Survey has partnered on a 5 year study on the Kansas River with specific objectives to provide an advanced real-time notification system with sufficient lead time to alert water-managers of changing water supply quality conditions that may affect treatment processes or cause taste-and-odor or algal toxin events. More...
Technology & Crop Varieties
Maintenance of hydrologic models provides allows for improving the understanding of the High Plains aquifer through the addition of current data and linkage of the separate models. Water use, water levels and climatic data provides the basis to evaluate the amount of water in storage as well as the effects of various water resource management techniques and programs. This allows the examination of solutions to conserve and extend the life of the aquifer with estimations of the impact of possible water management scenarios. More...
The index well program is designed for developing improved approaches for measuring and interpreting hydrologic responses at the local (section to township) scale in the High Plains aquifer (HPA) in western and south-central Kansas. Index well data is used to calibrate annual manual water level measurements for improved assessment of the High Plains aquifer.
A major focus of the program has been the development of criteria or methods to evaluate the effectiveness of management strategies at the local scale. Changes in water level—or the rate at which the water level is changing—are considered the most direct and unequivocal measures of the impact of management strategies. More...
Existing water technology efforts have grown into a new comprehensive Water Innovation Systems and Education (WISE) initiative. The program is a public/private partnership program that focuses on fostering the implementation of field practices, technology and management strategies for industrial, agricultural and municipal water applications; with the goal resulting in measurable and scalable ground water conservation, improved water quality and overall soil and ecological health. The program is an expansion of our legacy Water Technology Farm and PACE Farm programs, and includes the development of a state-wide Master Irrigator and innovative farm cost-share program. More...
The 50-Year Vision for the Future of Water Supply in Kansas and the regional advisory committee action plans identify several research areas necessary to implement Vision action items. Read More
Additional Source of Supply
Characterize groundwater contamination extent in the aquifer and investigate feasible remediation options... More
In 2012, the state of Kansas started the planning process to conduct a large-scale dredging project to restore water supply storage at John Redmond Reservoir. This project represents the first of its kind in the nation with a non-federal entity dredging sediment from a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) reservoir for the purpose of insuring water supply storage. More…
Pursue reallocation of two- foot of flood pool to conservation pool and purchase as water supply storage.
To increase available water supply and water supply storage within the Smoky Hill-Saline Regional Planning Area and ensure water supply available from reservoir storage exceeds demand by at least 10% through the year 2060. More...
A comprehensive system approach will be used to increase water supply and drought tolerance. Conservation is one solution to consider. Municipal water suppliers in the Marais des Cygnes River basin have adopted conservation plans that reduce consumption during drought in addition to looking at more ways to efficiently manage their reservoir system as another water savings. More...
To evaluate if recharge from playas occurs over the Ogallala and if so, how much. Virtually all the research to this point on playa infiltration and groundwater recharge has been done on the Southern Plains (Texas), where the geology is significantly different. More...
Evaluate the reuse of produced oil field water for irrigation or stockwater. More...
Technical and economic analysis and modeling of reservoir sediment management opportunities for Tuttle Creek Lake continues in support of the state of Kansas Reservoir Sustainability Initiative. More...
900 SW Jackson Street
Suite 404
Topeka, Kansas 66612