Ross_Irrigation
75th Anniversary
2020 marked 75 years of the Kansas Water Appropriations Act
"First in time, first in right"
Read more about the KWAA:
KWAA at 50
Read more about Kansas water law:
Kansas Water Law by KSRE

The Kansas Department of Agriculture's Division of Water Resources field offices are now making themselves available to the public by appointment during regular business hours.

KDA field offices serve water users statewide. Each office is managed by a water commissioner, who is the chief engineer's agent, and each is staffed with employees familiar with local water issues.

If you need to speak with someone in person, please contact the appropriate field office to schedule an appointment. All staff and visitors are required to wear face coverings in public areas of KDA buildings, except where social distancing can be maintained.

Topeka/Parsons     785-296-5733      Brett.Bunger@ks.gov
Stafford   620-234-5311      Jeff.Lanterman@ks.gov
Stockton   785-425-6787  Kelly.Stewart@ks.gov
Garden City   620-276-2901, or
620-765-7110 		 Mike.Meyer@ks.gov



Division of Water Resources

The Division of Water Resources administers 30 laws and responsibilities including the Kansas Water Appropriation Act which governs how water is allocated and used; statutes regulating the construction of dams, levees and other changes to streams; the state's four interstate river compacts; as well as coordinating the national flood insurance program in Kansas.

COMMON SEARCHES

  • Paper Filing Fee / Online support options: Information about the $20 per water right paper filing fee that will be applied to 2018 water use reporting.
  • Quivira: Information about the investigation of the impairment complaint filed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on behalf of the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. 
  • Hays R9: Information about the City of Hays' applications to KDA-DWR for water right changes and water transfer of the R9 Ranch.
  • Water Conservation Area (WCA): Information about WCAs and active or pending WCA plans. 
  • Local Enhanced Management Area (LEMA): Information about LEMAs including the GMD No. 4 District-wide LEMA, the Sheridan County 6 LEMA and the proposed GMD No. 5 Rattlesnake/Quivira LEMA.
  • Wichita ASR: Information about the City's request for changes to the conditions associated with the Phase II Aquifer Storage and Recovery Project.
  • Kickapoo Water Right: Information on the Kickapoo Indian Reservation Water Right Settlement Agreement.
  • Republican River Compact: Information on the latest resolutions and annual meetings between Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska on this compact.
  • Multi-Year Flex Accounts (MYFAs)
  • DWR Approved Meter List: Current list of approved water flowmeters, forms and instructions.
  • Minimum Desirable Streamflow (MDS): Streams subject to and currently under MDS administration.
Division of Water Resources in the News
All news

Hearings Scheduled for Sheridan 6 and GMD 4 LEMA Plans

Public hearings will be conducted in western Kansas on July 26 and 27 to consider the proposed renewal of two Local Enhanced Management Area (LEMA) management plans in the region.

Public hearings will be conducted in western Kansas on July 26 and 27 to consider the proposed renewal of two Local Enhanced Management Area (LEMA) management plans in the region. The hearings will provide the opportunity for in-person oral statements, and written comments may be submitted prior to the hearings.

  • Sheridan 6 LEMA hearing: Tuesday, July 26, 2022, 2:00 p.m. at the Sheridan County Courthouse, 926 9th Street in Hoxie.
  • GMD 4 LEMA hearing: Wednesday, July 27, 2022, 10:00 a.m. at the City Limits Convention Center, 2227 S. Range Avenue in Colby.

A LEMA is a tool that allows local groundwater management districts (GMDs) to set goals and corrective control measures to aid in water conservation. The Sheridan 6 LEMA was established in a designated area in Sheridan and Thomas counties in 2013 and extended in 2017. The GMD 4 LEMA was established in a designated area in Cheyenne, Decatur, Rawlins, Gove, Graham, Logan, Sheridan, Sherman, Thomas and Wallace counties in 2018. For both LEMAs, the plans for proposed renewal were previously submitted to the chief engineer by GMD No. 4 and were found to be acceptable for further consideration.

The chief engineer will serve as the presiding officer at both hearings and will consider the effectiveness of the current LEMA plans’ provisions in meeting those plans’ stated goals. The chief engineer will also consider whether conditions within the LEMA boundaries continue to warrant the designation of a LEMA and whether the corrective controls proposed by the LEMA plans are in the public interest, and will ultimately determine whether the LEMA plans should be renewed as proposed.

Anyone may submit written or oral statements to be included in the record of the hearings. Oral comments will be accepted only in person at the public hearings. Written comments may be submitted at the public hearings or sent to KDA, labeled either “Sheridan 6 LEMA” or “GMD 4 LEMA,” or c/o Ronda Hutton; 1320 Research Park Drive, Manhattan, Kansas 66502, faxed to 785-564-6777, or e-mailed to Ronda.Hutton@ks.gov. Written comments will be accepted if delivered on or before August 9 (Sheridan 6) or August 10 (GMD 4), 2022.

More details about the hearings including a copy of the proposed plan and related documents are available online at www.agriculture.ks.gov/LEMA. 

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Questions about the Division of Water Resources 

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