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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Republican River Compact Administration to Meet August 22

MANHATTAN, Kan. — The Republican River Compact Administration (RRCA) will hold its annual meeting at 9:30 a.m. CDT on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019 at the Pioneer Memorial Library, 375 W. 4th Street in Colby, Kansas.

The RRCA meeting will focus on water-related issues and activities, including compact compliance, within the Republican River basin in Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska.

In addition, RRCA will hold a work session to prepare for the annual meeting at 3:30 p.m. on August 21, 2019, also at the Pioneer Memorial Library. Both the work session and the annual meeting are open to the public.

Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska entered into the Republican River Compact in 1943 to provide for the equitable division of the basin’s waters, remove causes of potential controversy, and promote interstate cooperation and joint action by the states and the U.S. in the efficient use of water and the control of destructive floods. The RRCA is composed of three commissioners representing Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska: Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Water Resources Chief Engineer David Barfield; Colorado State Engineer Kevin Rein; and Nebraska Department of Natural Resources Director Jeff Fassett.

Individuals who have questions regarding the meeting should contact Chris Beightel, KDA water management services program manager, at Chris.Beightel@ks.gov or 785-564-6659 for more information.

For additional information about the Republican River compact and this year’s annual meeting, please visit agriculture.ks.gov/RRCA. …

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Republican River Compact extends Colorado deadlines to retire South Fork acres

On November 6, the Republican River Compact Administration held a brief special meeting to adopt a resolution to extend by 2 years the deadlines by which Colorado will retire 25,000 acres from irrigation in the South Fork Republican River to increase streamflow into Kansas. The extension was requested by Colorado because the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) modifications Colorado sought took longer than expected to be implemented by the federal Farm Service Agency.

The requirement to retire the additional acres is part of the state’s long-term resolution passed in 2016. For more information: http://www.agriculture.ks.gov/RRCA

Tags: RRCA, northwest KS, South Fork Republican River…

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KDA and KWO host Oct. 2 in St. Francis meeting to discuss Upper Republican Basin issues

The Kansas Department of Agriculture and the Kansas Water Office are hosting an informational meeting and forum on October 2, 2018 at the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds in St Francis, Kansas to discuss Upper Republican River Basin issues including how to best invest $2 million in the basin’s water resources and options for Bonny Reservoir. The meeting announcement, proposed agenda, and background documents can be found at KDA’s our new web page for Upper Republican basin issues at: http://www.agriculture.ks.gov/upperrepublican.

Tags: RRCA, StocktonFO…

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Republican River Compact Administration launches web site

The states of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska have collaboratively developed a new, joint web site, republicanriver.org, as the official web site of the RRCA.  It includes an overview of the compact and its administration, its committee and their work, the RRCA’s annual reports and other historic documents, the RRCA’s accounting of water, and links to the states’ web sites for much more.

Tags: RRCA, Compact…

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Governor Colyer sends letter to Nebraska opposing proposed Inter-basin Transfer

On August 8, Governor Colyer sent a letter to Nebraska expressing opposition to the proposed Inter-basin Transfer from the Platte River to the Republican River Basin as it would provide a path for invasive species of fish to enter the Basin. For more: agriculture.ks.gov/RRCA

Tags: RRCA, StocktonFO, TopekaFO, Compact…

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