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Water
Planning
The Kansas
Water Office Planning Program, in cooperation with other state and
federal agencies, prepare the state comprehensive plan for the
management, conservation and development of Kansas' water
resources. The Kansas Water Plan is updated regularly
and provides the framework for addressing the state's water
problems, issues and concerns.
Water
Conservation Project Fund - UARK Basin
The Water
Conservation Project Fund received $9,684,425 of the $34,615,146
State of Colorado payment to Kansas, as a result of the U.S.
Supreme Court ruling on the Kansas v. Colorado lawsuit regarding
violations of the Arkansas River Compact. K.S.A. 82a-1803
instructs the Director of the Kansas Water Office to administer
these funds in the affected area with priority to projects that
achieve the greatest water conservation efficiency for the general
good and those that have been required by the Department of
Agriculture, Division of Water Resources.
Water Conservation Project Fund Application - Word
Format - PDF
Format
Facilitation
Services
The Kansas
Water Office provides facilitation services for people and
organizations involved in water or natural resource related issues,
whether they are between two parties or involve multiple
parties. Participation in facilitated sessions is
voluntary. These services are sponsored by the
Governor’s Sub-Cabinet on Natural Resources.
Water
Conservation
The Kansas
Water Office has the statutory responsibility to develop and
maintain guidelines for water conservation plans and practices, and
to provide, or arrange to provide, technical assistance for water
uses required to adopt and implement conservation plans and
practices. The Water Conservation Program has developed
guidelines for municipal, industrial and irrigation water
use.
Drought
Monitoring
The Kansas
Water Office has the statutory responsibility to advise the Governor
on drought conditions and coordinates the Governor's drought
response team. The Drought Monitoring Program collects climate
data from a variety of sources, monitors drought activities and
publishes a Drought
Report during periods of drought.
Water
Assurance
The Water
Assurance Program was enacted in statute in 1986. The purpose
of the Program is to allow for coordinated operation of state-owned
or controlled water storage space in federal reservoirs in a
designated basin to satisfy downstream municipal and industrial
water rights during drought conditions. Water right holders
are therefore assured to receive enhanced flow during times of
drought by state operation of reservoirs in a basin as a system for
increased efficiency in water delivery.
Water
Marketing
The 1974
Legislature enacted the State Water Plan Storage Act, which
authorizes the KWO to contract with water purchasers for sale of
water from state owned storage in federal reservoirs. Water
sold from these reservoirs must be used for municipal or industrial
purposes. The purpose of the Program is to develop adequate
water supply storage to meet present and anticipate municipal and
industrial water needs, in the best interests of the
state.
Weather
Modification
The KWO
administrates the provisions of the Kansas Weather Modification Act
which authorizes it to license operators and issue permits related
to the weather modification programs in Kansas. The purpose of
this program is to insure that operations are safe to operators and
the public and that the operations are beneficial to the
state.
Lake
Level Management
The purpose
of Lake Level Management is to increase the benefits to recreational
users and increase wildlife and aquatic habitat while protecting the
flood control, water supply and water quality purposes of the
lake. The KWO is charged by the State Water Planning Act with
negotiating and entering into agreements with the Corps of Engineers
and the Bureau of Reclamation regarding operation or releases of
water from federal projects. These two federal agencies are
responsible for the operation and maintenance for the state's 24
federal lakes.
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