Lower Republican River
Streamflow Information
Now Online
The Kansas Department of
Agriculture has launched
a new web page to help
water users in the lower
Republican River basin
access information about
streamflow conditions
and whether water use
will be curtailed to
reach minimum desirable
streamflow.
“This is the time of
year I start getting
calls from irrigators
with questions about
streamflow and water
use, and I intend to
tell them that most of
the information is now
online,” said Katie
Tietsort, water
commissioner for the
division of water
resources Topeka field
office. “The good news
right now, of course, is
that streamflow is
adequate to allow water
use.”
Under Kansas law, when
flow drops below an
established threshold,
pumping restrictions are
imposed to protect
existing water rights
and to meet in-stream
water uses related to
water quality, fish and
wildlife, and
recreation. These
minimum desirable
streamflow requirements
were made part of the
Kansas Water
Appropriation Act by the
1984 Legislature, and
they affect only those
water rights granted
after April 12, 1984.
Last June, the chief
engineer of the division
of water resources
lifted pumping
restrictions that had
been in place since 2002
on 177 water rights
along the Republican
River in Clay, Cloud,
Jewell, Republic and
Washington counties.
The restrictions were
imposed because
streamflow remained
below minimum desirable
streamflow values.
Heavy precipitation in
spring 2007 brought back
higher sustained
flows.
In recent years, water
users in the Republican
River basin have been
allowed to enter into
agreements with the
division of water
resources to use at
least some groundwater
or surface water, even
while minimum desirable
streamflow
administration is
underway. The chief
engineer decided to make
consent agreements
available again in 2008,
but only if and when MDS
administration becomes
necessary.
For the time being,
Republican River flows
remain above MDS trigger
levels. The agency will
notify affected water
users in the area if
conditions change in the
coming weeks and months
requiring MDS
administration.
Water right holders who
want to know more about
Republican River MDS
issues are encouraged to
check out the new web
page or to contact the
division of water
resources field office
in Topeka at (785)
368-8251 or Stockton at
(785) 425-6787.
