2020 Annual Meeting of the Republican River Compact Administration

The Republican River Compact Administration (RRCA) will hold its 2020 Annual Meeting on August 21st as a virtual meeting via Zoom.  Additional information can be found in the meeting agenda.

In addition, the RRCA held a work session during the morning of August 21st at the same location. For details, see the work session agenda.

Both meetings are open to the public. Zoom links can be found here. …

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Initial Public Hearing Scheduled for August 14, 2020 to discuss proposed Wichita County LEMA

A pre-hearing conference was held on July 8, 2020 to discuss the date and procedures for the initial public hearing.

An initial public hearing shall be held on August 14, 2020 beginning at 9:00 A.M. (CDT) to determine whether the WHC LEMA Management Plan satisfies the initial requirements for approval. The virtual-hybrid hearing will provide the opportunity for in-person oral statements and virtual online participation through Zoom. The hearing will also be broadcast live here via the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s YouTube Channel. Any interested members of the public are encouraged to attend.

All interested parties are welcome to submit written or oral statements to be included in the record of the initial hearing. Oral statements will only be accepted during the public hearing. In-person oral statements may be given at the St. Anthony Catholic Church Parish Hall, 600 S. Fourth Street, Leoti, KS. Anyone desiring to provide an online oral statement or visual presentation via Zoom must submit their request at least 24 hours prior to the hearing by notifying Ronda Hutton at (785) 564-6715 or by e-mail at ronda.hutton@ks.gov. A copy of any visual presentation must also be submitted 24 hours prior to the hearing. Written statements may be submitted at the public hearing or sent to the WHC LEMA; c/o Ronda Hutton; 1320 Research Park Drive, Manhattan, KS 66502, faxed to (785) 564-6777, or e-mailed to ronda.hutton@ks.gov. Written comments must be delivered on or before Friday, August 28, 2020.

The deadline for any party desiring to formally intervene in the proceeding is July 31, 2020. Electing not to formally intervene will not limit any party’s ability to provide oral or written testimony at the public hearing.…

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Wichita County LEMA Pre-Conference Hearing

The Chief Engineer of the Division of Water Resources, Kansas Department of Agriculture, has conducted an initial review of the Wichita County LEMA plan submitted by the Western Kansas Groundwater Management District No. 1 and found it acceptable for further consideration. The proposed LEMA plan calls for reductions in water use in those areas of Wichita County within the groundwater management district. Details about the proposed LEMA plan are available online at http://agriculture.ks.gov/WHCL

Therefore, a pre-hearing conference shall be held to finalize a tentative date of August 14, 2020 for the initial public hearing, to discuss procedures for conducting the hearing, and to consider any other relevant matters. All interested parties are welcome to participate by using the call-in information provided below.

                        Call-in Number:          (866) 620-7326

                        Conference Code:       591-340-8276 

Any parties wishing to formally intervene in proceedings should participate in this call. If you have any questions about the pre-hearing conference or access to the conference call, please contact Ronda Hutton at (785) 564-6715 or via email at ronda.hutton@ks.gov. …

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MDS Update: 6/15/2020

There are several gages below their MDS criteria presently: 1) the Rattlesnake Creek gage near Macksville, 2) the Rattlesnake Creek gage near Zenith, and 3) the North Fork Ninnescah River gage above Cheney -though administration orders for these streams are not being sent at this time.  Two other gages are also getting very close to MDS, though one of them has no surface water rights above it so is not typically administered.

To view USGS gage data for these stations, click here.

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