In response to declining groundwater levels in the McPherson area, the board of Equus Beds Groundwater Management District #2 (GMD #2) initiated the Intensive Groundwater Use Control Area (IGUCA) process in February, 1979. A hearing was held in September 1979 and the IGUCA order was issued in March 1980. The order defined a control area and imposed two main corrective controls: (1) that the IGUCA area shall be closed to new appropriations excepting domestic, temporary and short-term permits and (2) that water flow meters shall be installed on all groundwater wells excepting domestic and temporary wells.

Pursuant to K.A.R. 5-20-2, each of the eight IGUCA orders in place before July 1, 2008 must be reviewed in a process that includes a public hearing conducted by the chief engineer. While a brief summary of the McPherson IGUCA has been provided below, the IGUCA order is also available and should be referred to for detailed conclusions and provisions.

DWR is conducting a formal review of the March 28, 1980 order establishing the McPherson IGUCA. The purpose of the review is to determine whether there are still excessive declines in groundwater levels, whether the rate of groundwater withdrawal in the area still exceeds the rate of recharge and whether the public interest requires that the IGUCA designation be continued, and if so, whether there should there be any adjustment in the IGUCA’s provisions.
 
DWR, in cooperation with GMD No. 2, has developed a final draft of the McPherson IGUCA Review which was offered for the record at the public hearing on Oct. 4, 2016 in Hutchinson, Kan.