DWR Currents

June 8, 2011

DWR Issues Permits for Proposed Smoky Hill River Project in Salina
DWR Implements New Paradigm in Floodplain Mapping
GMD 4 Delays Enhanced Groundwater Management
USGS Reactivates Previously Discontinued Arkansas River Stream Gages
Upcoming Events

DWR Issues Permits for Proposed Smoky Hill River Project in Salina
Chief Engineer David Barfield recently issued water appropriation permits to the City of Salina for their proposed project to restore streamflow through a seven-mile meandering portion of the original Smoky Hill River channel through downtown Salina.  The original channel was bypassed when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed a flood diversion channel decades ago.

Below: A plan showing the existing Smoky Hill River channel curving to the northeast on the right side of the plan and the meandering old river channel to be restored on the left half of the plan.  Image courtesy of Friends of the River Foundation.

The project is designed to operate at continual flows typically around 40 cubic feet per second.  Water diverted from the river would be returned to the river.  Groundwater from a lake would be used in a re-circulated system when river flows are insufficient.  Apart from seepage and evaporation the project will be largely nonconsumptive.

Recreational use of water is authorized under these permits.  The city’s plan indicates recreational activities would include boating, fishing, hiking trails, nature study and other activities.

According to a statement on Friends of the River Foundation’s website, “This project restores the natural resource that grew our city.  It provides needed recreational and wellness opportunities for all ages and abilities.  It secures storm water storage capacity of the channel, and creates a downtown riverwalk for all to enjoy.  The project establishes an affordable and healthy entertainment source with educational opportunities.  It re-introduces water-based recreation on the river.  Above all it enhances Salina's appeal to businesses for economic development.”

City officials have recently moved the project to a “projects for further review” category in their capital improvement plan.  Last fall, Salina residents voted against raising the sales tax to fund Phase I of the project, which was estimated to cost $27.5 million.  Based on reports in the Salina Journal, supporters of the project have vowed to continue promoting it.

Water appropriation permits for the project are due to be dismissed unless the city completes diversion works by the end of 2012 or a time extension is granted.

More information about the project is available on the City of Salina’s website.


DWR Implements New Paradigm in Floodplain Mapping
Until recently, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) focused on mapping flood zones for individual communities, which had relatively little involvement in crafting the finished product.  With its Risk Mapping, Assessment and Planning (Risk MAP) initiative, FEMA seeks to improve the process by working in partnership with communities to more comprehensively address flood risks throughout watersheds.

DWR’s floodplain management staff – responsible for coordinating the NFIP in Kansas and working as a cooperating technical partner with FEMA – held a kickoff meeting last week to discuss watershed discovery meetings with potentially interested state and federal partners.  DWR will be conducting discovery meetings in cities within watersheds where FEMA has proposed new Risk MAP projects.

Right: Tom Morey (center), NFIP coordinator for Kansas, met with 20 participants from state and federal agencies on June 1 to introduce key partners to the project and start an information-sharing collaboration.

Discovery meetings are part of the plan to interact with communities early and often during the process to identify, assess, communicate and mitigate risks.

“It’s a lot better than throwing a map at the community and hoping they work with it,” said Tom Morey, leader of DWR’s floodplain management team. "The intent is to provide customized products to suit communities’ needs with the expectation that they will use these maps to focus resources toward mitigating risks.”

“Local interest and planning involvement – that’s critical,” said Joe File, mapping coordinator for AMEC engineering company.  “Because if the community isn’t interested in products, they aren’t going to be used.”

File presented this new 7 to 10 month FEMA process for Discovery that focuses on upfront coordination and replaces Scoping Meetings in which a new flood map project was introduced to local, state and federal stakeholders within a project county.

Right: A schematic of the Risk Map process, courtesy of FEMA.

This increased partnership also is designed to increase visibility, educate through involvement and promote a vision of watershed – a new FEMA concept.  “Flooding doesn’t recognize political boundaries, which is why FEMA is focusing more on watersheds than counties,” File said.

After Discovery, DWR will begin working on the mapping portion of the Risk MAP initiative for each watershed they are working in.  In addition to the traditional Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), communities will be provided with a suite of non-regulatory products to use for risk mitigation planning.  These products may include a flood risk report and database, changes since last FIRM dataset, flood depth and analysis grids, flood risk assessment and areas of mitigation interest maps.  The set of products will be tailored to the needs of each community and will help officials not only with planning but also with communicating flood risk and potential impacts on communities and individuals.

Below:  A map of current and future proposed Risk MAP projects in Kansas.  Click to enlarge image.

More information is available on DWR’s Floodplain Management website and FEMA’s Risk Map website.


GMD 4 Delays Enhanced Groundwater Management
As reported in the DWR Currents of September 27, 2010 and the December 29, 2010, DWR has been working with Northwest Kansas Groundwater Management District No. 4 toward implementation of enhanced management in an area of high declines.  This initiative experienced a substantial setback in recent weeks when stakeholders in Sheridan County 6 (SD-6) high priority area decided to ask the board to not incorporate their previously recommended enhanced management plan into the GMD 4 management program.  On June 1 the board accepted their request and approved re-adoption of the current management program for another year – without the SD-6 proposed enhanced management section.

“Stakeholders indicated the intent of their request was to provide time to explore other methods of achieving more local control over an expected intensive groundwater use control area (IGUCA) process that they believe is necessary to implement the enhanced management plan,” said Wayne Bossert, manager of GMD 4.  “They decided not to move forward with the current IGUCA process until other possible approaches are explored and exhausted.”

Below: A map of GMD 4 delineating six high priority areas experiencing rapid declines in groundwater levels, including Sheridan County 6 (labeled SD-6).  Image courtesy of GMD 4.

“This is an unexpected turn of events,” said Scott Ross, water commissioner in DWR’s Stockton field office.  “A number of water right owners in SD-6 were in favor of a shared reduction in water use to prolong their dwindling water supply and possibly avoid impairment claims that could lead to curtailment of junior water rights.”


USGS Reactivates Previously Discontinued Arkansas River Stream Gages
On June 1, the U.S. Geological Survey officially resumed operation and maintenance of four stream gages in and along the upper Arkansas River in Kansas:

• Arkansas River at Kendall, KS (USGS gage number 07138020)
• Amazon-Great Eastern NR Lakin, KS (USGS gage number 07138050)
• South Side Ditch NR Lakin, KS  (USGS gage number 07138063)
• Farmers Ditch NR Deerfield, KS (USGS gage number 07138075)

A fifth stream gage for the Arkansas River at Deerfield, KS, (USGS gage number 07138070) will be reactivated around July 1.

Right: A graph of streamflows at the Arkansas River Kendall stream gage.  While the stream gage was officially reactivated on June 1, as shown here USGS brought it back into operation in the latter part of May to meet the reactivation target date.  Image courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey.  Click to enlarge image.

As reported in the DWR Currents of June 7, 2010, these were among seven stream gages discontinued due to budget cuts.

The deactivation of stream gages in and along the upper Arkansas River impacted DWR’s ability to obtain real-time, accurate information that helps us determine available flows at various locations, distribute those flows to water right holders, and call for compact releases from John Martin Reservoir in Colorado under certain circumstances.

The Kansas Legislature took notice of this and in its 2011 session the legislature passed the Fiscal Year 2012 budget with specific funding for operation and maintenance of these stream gages.  The legislature also passed a bill establishing the Arkansas River gaging fund, a dedicated source of funding for operation and maintenance of these stream gages into the future.


Upcoming Events

• June 8: GMD 3 Board Meeting (Garden City)
• June 14: GMD 2 Board Meeting (Halstead)
• June 21: GMD 1 Board Meeting (Scott City)

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