By Quinn O’Hara

Governor Laura Kelly has announced a $1.5 million investment into the Kansas Water Plan, a government program which aims to address several water-related issues across the state. The KWP contains five principles which will guide how and where funding and efforts are directed: Conserve and Extend the High Plains Aquifer,   Secure, Protect, and Restore Our Kansas Reservoirs,   Improve the State’s Water Quality,   Reduce Our Vulnerability to Extreme Events,   and Increase Awareness of Kansas Water Resources. There are 14 regional planning areas across the state, each containing their own personalized action plans and goals that fit within the five guiding principles.

The Kansas Region covers a large portion of northeastern Kansas, from Republic County down to Wabaunsee County, and east to Johnson County. The region covers Kansas’ four largest reservoirs, Milford, Tuttle Creek, Perry, and Clinton lakes, which function as the sole water resource for the surrounding areas during times of drought, play a major role in flood control, provide critical habitat for fish and wildlife, as well as provide space for outdoor recreation. Currently the largest threats to the region are harmful algal blooms, which have greatly increased in number and intensity since the year 2000, as well as the uncontrolled sedimentation of Tuttle Creek Lake, which currently has lost nearly 50% of its water storage capacity due to severe amounts of sediment washing downstream from eroding streambanks. 

The Kansas Water Plan is available as a pdf document on the Kansas Water Office website at www.kwo.ks.gov/water-plan