DWR Currents

February 23, 2010

New Decision Support Tool for Surface Water Management
Hundreds of water users depend on Katie Tietsort for streamflow regulation and real-time permission to pump.  A new daily report from the U.S. Geological Survey makes it easier for Tietsort and her staff to manage this responsibility.

Tietsort is Water Commissioner in DWR’s Topeka Field Office, which performs compliance and enforcement of water rights throughout the eastern third of Kansas.  Most of the water rights in this part of the state are supplied by surface water, the availability of which varies considerably depending on the time of year and weather patterns.

Until recently, Tietsort and her staff had to check multiple websites each day to gather information about streamflows and lake levels in order to make decisions and take necessary actions to protect water rights and facilitate beneficial use of water.  Even with today’s computers, compiling this data would take up at least an hour of staff time each day.

That has all changed for the better.  After nearly a year of collaboration with Brian Loving of the USGS Water Science Center in Lawrence, the Topeka Field Office now receives an automated status report directly from USGS each day.  The report pulls information from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and USGS websites, providing a snapshot of key information including:

  • Reservoir pool elevations, inflows, releases, and changes in releases by percent;
  • Minimum desirable streamflow criteria not met at a gage or projected to not be met and how many days out on the projection;
  • Memorandum of Agreement, Water Assurance District, and other agreement trigger values not being met; and
  • Specified streamgage values and upstream or downstream gages or other criteria to identify when a significant change is occurring.

“This is proving to be helpful now, but the real test will occur when conditions become dry,” said Tietsort.

Tietsort’s statement is in reference to the fact that the Field Office’s workload increases exponentially during prolonged dry spells.  Under such conditions staff works overtime, often including weekends, to regulate junior (newer) water rights so senior (older) water rights receive available supplies, and so reservoir releases make it to customers and are not intercepted by intervening water users.

USGS and DWR have a rich history of partnering, and we appreciate USGS’s efforts to create this new daily report which helps streamline data assembly to support DWR’s field activities.


Legislature Considering Water Issues
Several water resources bills were deliberated last week including legislation to establish conservation use as a new beneficial use of water; a bill that could affect the safety of people, homes and property below dams; and a bill that would protect unused water rights in closed areas from abandonment if they are able to be pumped in a timely manner when necessary.

  • SB 510 (conservation as a beneficial use of water) – Senate Bill 510 would establish “conservation use” as a new and distinct beneficial use of water under the Kansas Water Appropriation Act.  The Senate Committee on Natural Resources conducted a hearing on the bill last week.  Kansas Department of Agriculture, Kansas Livestock Association, Kansas Farm Bureau, and groundwater management districts were among those who testified in favor of the bill, although the stakeholder groups wanted additional language to address specific issues.  The conferees are working on amended language.  The bill is exempt from the “turnaround” deadline since it was referred from Senate Ways and Means.
  • HB 2283 (annexation/IGUCAs) – The conference committee tentatively agreed to amended language for this bill from last session regarding annexation of rural water districts by cities.  The committee agreed to strike language that would prohibit the chief engineer from initiating proceedings for an intensive groundwater use control area within a groundwater management district when the GMD has not requested it.
  • HB 2493 (dam hazard classifications and inspections) – The original language of House Bill 2493 would repeal K.S.A. 82a-303b, which requires periodic inspections of high-hazard and significant-hazard dams, and which authorizes the chief engineer to inspect any dam or other stream obstruction.  The House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources last week considered an alternate version of the bill that would redefine a dam based on 100 acre-feet of water impounded rather than the 50 acre-feet currently in statute, and which would exempt watershed district dams from regulation.  The committee chairman has indicated he will appoint a subcommittee to study this further.  The bill is exempt from the “turnaround” deadline since it was referred from House Appropriations.
  • HB 2565 / H Sub SB 316 (nonuse in closed areas) – The House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources considered House Bill 2565 last week and passed alternate language placed in House Substitute for Senate Bill 316.  The new language would amend K.S.A. 82a-718 to establish that “...a groundwater right, which has as its local supply an aquifer area that has been closed to new appropriations by rule, regulation or order of the chief engineer and where means of diversion are available to put water to a beneficial use within a reasonable time, shall be deemed to have due and sufficient cause for nonuse and shall not be deemed abandoned.”  Since the language is in a bill previously considered by the Senate, the substitute bill is exempt from the “turnaround” deadline and may be worked in conference committee.

More information is available under “News” on DWR’s homepage, on KDA’s Government Relations website and KDA’s Twitter postings at KSDeptofAg.

The text and status of bills are available on the Kansas Legislature’s website.


Staff News
Beth CooperBeth Cooper is leaving DWR to pursue other opportunities.  Her last day with the agency is March 5.

Cooper has worked for the Division nearly seven years, most recently as a grant-funded Education and Information Specialist in the Dam Safety Program.  Her duties included organizing dam safety conferences and workshops, conducting emergency action plan exercises, and preparing newsletters and other public information.

“I have enjoyed the camaraderie and friendship at DWR,” said Cooper, “it has been a wonderful experience to work with so many talented and fun people!”

We wish Beth the best in her future endeavors.


Upcoming Events

  • Mar. 4: GMD 4 board meeting (Colby) Corrected from E-mail Edition
  • Mar. 9: GMD 2 board meeting (Halstead)
  • Mar. 10: GMD 3 board meeting (Garden City)
  • Mar. 11: GMD 5 board meeting (Stafford)
  • Mar. 16: GMD 1 board meeting (Scott City)
  • Apr. 6: Basics of National Flood Insurance Program training (Belleville)
  • Apr. 7: Hearings on proposed amendments to water appropriation regulations (Topeka – with teleconference stations at Garden City, Halstead, Stafford, and Stockton)
  • Apr. 20-23: Culvert, Drainage & Levee Maintenance workshop (TBD)
  • Apr. 21: Hearing on proposed water bank regulation amendment (Topeka)
  • May 6: Substantial Damage Estimation class (Lyons)

For more information about these and other upcoming events, please check our events listings.

Kansas Department of Agriculture