The Compact Commission is composed of three Commissioners appointed by the Governor of Kansas, three Commissioners appointed by the Governor of Oklahoma, and is chaired by a federal representative appointed by the President of the United States. The current Commissioners are:
Kansas
Earl Lewis, Chief Engineer of the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Water Resources
Ponka-We Victors of Wichita, Kansas
Lisa French of Partridge, Kansas
Oklahoma
Julie Cunningham, Director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board
Ross Kirtley of Mustang, Oklahoma
Bryce Benson of Alva, Oklahoma
United States
Federal Commissioner: Earnie Gilder of Muskogee, Oklahoma
Alternate Federal Commissioner: Chuck Shively of Coffeyville, Kansas
The Compact provides for a maximum amount of “new conservation storage” to be constructed within the lower Arkansas River basin. Conservation storage is that portion of active reservoir storage capacity that exceeds 100 acre-feet in reservoirs constructed after July 1, 1963. The following table illustrates the conservation storage allocations and the remaining storage allocations as of March 26, 2010.
Arkansas River Subbasin | Conservation Storage Allocation | Remaining Storage Allocation |
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Grand-Neosho River sub-basin | 650,000 acre-feet | 513,028 acre-feet |
Verdigris River sub-basin | 300,000 acre-feet | 1,214,930 acre-feet1 |
Main stem Arkansas River basin | 600,000 acre-feet | 598,515 acre-feet |
Salt Fork Arkansas River sub-basin | 300,000 acre-feet | 295,967 acre-feet |
Cimarron River sub-basin in Kansas | 5,000 acre-feet | 5,000 acre-feet |
Cimarron River sub-basin in Oklahoma | 5,000 acre-feet | 5,000 acre-feet |
1The Verdigris River sub-basin has an allocation greater than originally allocated by the Compact because it has been credited additional storage as a result of conservation storage constructed in Oklahoma.
The Compact Commission monitors streamflow and water quality at several locations throughout the basin and tabulates new conservation storage that has been constructed in the various sub-basins of the lower Arkansas River. Currently, none of the sub-basins in Kansas are close to approaching their allocated storage capacities.
Page last updated July 1, 2022.