Sheridan-Thomas County Local Enhanced Management Area
(Sheridan 6 LEMA)
News:
- On Wednesday, April 17, 2013, the chief engineer issued his Order of Designation setting forth the complete terms for the Sheridan 6 LEMA.
Initiated:
- July 12, 2012 Approved by Board of Directors, Northwest Kansas GMD No. 4
- July 16, 2012 Sheridan 6 LEMA Proposal transmitted to DWR. The proposal includes legal descriptions of sections to be included in the LEMA, sets a goal for limiting water use, and specifies proposed management actions to achieve the goal. See link in Documents section below.
Reasons for recommendation:
- To reduce groundwater decline rates and extend the life of the aquifer
- Rate of withdrawal of groundwater in that area appears to exceed the recharge rate
Public Hearings:
- The initial public hearing for the Sheridan 6 LEMA was held on Thursday, September 13, 2012, at 10:30 a.m. at the Sheridan County Courthouse, which is located at 925 9th Street, Hoxie, Kansas 67740. See notice and the hearing officer order in Documents section below.
- In the October 4, 2012 order on behalf of the chief engineer, the hearing officer found that the record of evidence submitted for the September 13 initial public hearing warrants continuing the process towards establishing the Sheridan 6 LEMA.
- The second of the two public hearings required to establish a LEMA was held on November 28, 2012 at 10:30 at the Sheridan County Courthouse in Hoxie. It considered whether GMD #4's recommended corrective control provisions for the proposed Sheridan 6 LEMA should be adopted.
- In his December 31, 2012 Order of Decision, the chief engineer accepted the enhanced management plan for the Sheridan 6 LEMA.
Documents:
| Description | Document File | File Size | Document Date | Provided by |
| Initial Proposal | LEMA.SD6.InitProposal.20120615.pdf | 740 KB | 3/1/2012 | GMD4 Board of Directors |
| Chief Engineer finds plan acceptable for consideration | LEMA.SD6.CE.acceptForConsideration.20120803.pdf | 350 KB | 8/3/2012 | DWR |
| Notice of initial hearing | LEMA.SD6.NoticeInitHearing.pdf | 310 KB | 8/3/2012 | DWR |
| Order from initial hearing | SD6.Initial.Order.pdf | 830 KB | 10/4/2012 | DWR |
| Notice of second hearing | LEMA.SD6.second.public.hearing.notice | 1 MB | 10/10/2012 | DWR |
| Hearing Management Order No. 1 | Hearing Order1- Designation of SD 6 LEMA 12 WATER 8366.pdf | 2 MB | 11/19/2012 | DWR |
| Order of Decision |
LEMA.SD6.OrderOfDecision.20121231.pdf | 766 KB |
12/31/2012 | DWR |
| Order of Designation | LEMA.SD6.OrderOfDesignation.20130417.pdf | 798 KB | 4/17/2013 | DWR |
Links:
Northwest Kansas Groundwater Management District No. 4
GMD4 Sheridan 6 High Priority Area Page
