News Release

December 8, 2009

Contact:
Chelsea Good
Communications Director
Kansas Department of Agriculture
(785) 296-2653 phone
(913) 735-9065 cell
Chelsea.Good@kda.ks.gov

New water resource field office location provides easier customer access, better document protection

TOPEKA--Customers of the Kansas Department of Agriculture's division of water resources will find it easier to visit the program's Topeka field office in its new location at Forbes Field, but the move provides some important document protection as well.

The Topeka field office serves water right holders in 44 counties that make up the eastern third of Kansas.  It also houses paper water right records that are also stored on microfilm but in the same downtown Topeka office building from which the field office is moving. 

"Our customers travel from all across eastern Kansas to visit our office, so we're glad that our new location gives them easier access to us," said Katie Tietsort, water commissioner for the Topeka field office.  "They won't have to navigate downtown traffic nor compete for paid parking spaces.  Instead, they will be able to park at our front door for free." 

The Topeka field office is moving from its current location at 109 SW 9th Street to Building 282 at Forbes Field.  Effective Dec.11, their new contact information will be:

Kansas Department of Agriculture
Division of Water Resources - Topeka Field Office
PO Box 19323
Building 282, Forbes Field
Topeka, KS  66619-0323
(785) 862-6300
(785) 862-9110

The move also provides greater protection for paper records held by the field office that document all water rights in its territory.  Back-up records exist on microfilm, but they are stored in the same building as the paper files.

"A catastrophic event at our current location could easily compromise all our existing records, so we're glad to be able to move our paper records to a new site," Tietsort said. 

The move also will create some modest savings for the agency by eliminating the need to pay for two parking stalls for agency-owned vehicles. 

The Forbes Field location where the field office is moving is already covered by a lease the department has for office space for several of its other programs.