YouTube Video of Second Public Hearing (11-20-2020): Second Hearing Video Recording.
YouTube Video of Initial Public Hearing (8-14-2020): Initial Hearing Video Recording.
News:
On February 2, 2021, the Chief Engineer of the Division of Water Resources, Kansas Department of Agriculture (DWR) signed an Order of Designation creating the Wichita County Local Enhanced Management Area (LEMA). The Wichita County LEMA will be in effect through December 31, 2025.
On December 30, 2020, the Chief Engineer signed an Order of Decision approving the Wichita County Local Enhanced Management Area (LEMA) Management Plan submitted by the Western Kansas Groundwater Management District No. 1 (GMD1). The LEMA plan calls for reductions in water use in those areas of Wichita County within GMD1. Details about the LEMA plan are available in the 2021-2025 Wichita County LEMA Documents table below.
A second public hearing was held on November 20, 2020 to consider whether the proposed corrective control provisions in the Wichita County LEMA Management Plan are sufficient, and whether the plan should be accepted or rejected, or whether modifications should be proposed. The virtual-hybrid hearing was open to the public, allowed for in-person and online oral statements, and was broadcast live via the Kansas Department of Agriculture's YouTube channel (link). Any interested parties were welcome to submit oral or written statements into the record of the second hearing. Oral statements were only accepted during the hearing, while written comments were accepted through December 4, 2020. Written comments that were provided are available in the Second Public Hearing Comments and Testimony table below.
On September 16, 2020, the Acting Chief Engineer issued a Findings and Order Establishing the Initial Requirements for the Designation of a LEMA. He concluded that the proposed Wichita County LEMA satisfies the initial requirements necessary to continue the LEMA designation process and ordered that a second public hearing be conducted.
An initial public hearing was held on August 14, 2020 to determine whether the Wichita County LEMA Management Plan satisfies the initial requirements for approval. The virtual-hybrid hearing was open to the public, allowed for in-person and online oral statements, and was broadcast live via the Kansas Department of Agriculture's YouTube channel (link). Any interested parties were welcome to submit oral or written statements into the record of the initial hearing. Oral statements were only accepted during the hearing, while written comments were accepted through August 28, 2020. Written comments that were provided are available in the Initial Public Hearing Comments and Testimony table below.
The deadline for any party desiring to formally intervene in the proceeding was July 31, 2020. Electing not to formally intervene did not limit any party’s ability to provide testimony for the records of the public hearings.
On March 26, 2020, the GMD1 Board of Directors submitted a formal request to the Chief Engineer of DWR to designate a Wichita County LEMA. Included in the request was a Management Plan and Proposed Allocations for the LEMA period, which are available in the 2021-2025 Wichita County LEMA Documents table below.