water vision

1. 1. Technology and Crop Varieties
2. Water Management
3. Water Conservation
4. New Sources of Supply
Breakout Topic Sessions

2. Water Management Key Themes
• Modify reservoir operations and downstream targets to
most efficiently operate reservoirs for water supply
• Identify opportunities to increase the regionalization of
water supply, where doing so would improve the long-
term water supply reliability
• Propose changes to Water Appropriation Act and Rules
and Regulations to promote a better balance between
efficient water use and economic benefits
(Tan paper in packet)

3. Water Management
Breakout Questions
1. How can multiple uses of our reservoirs
(municipal/industrial, recreation, flood control, etc.) be
balanced to most efficiently operate the state’s water
supply reservoirs?
• Work with the Corps of Engineers to reevaluate
storage to allow more flexibility
• Dredging, streambank stability fluctuations,
maintenance and money

4. Water Management
Breakout Questions
2. What are the situations in which regionalization
should be encouraged? And what role do you think the
state should play in promoting regionalization?
• Multi-state coordination should be explored for
cooperation with all the federal agencies
• Show the benefits of regionalization and do so before
the need is immediate
• The state needs to provide leadership

5. Water Management
Breakout Questions
3. What additional tools are needed to provide greater
flexibility for the management of water while protecting
the resource?
• Water Administration
– State Government Administration (Single agency?)
– Evaluate consumptive use
– Support LEMAs due to flexibility
– Review the Water Transfer Act
– Valuation of water should conducted

6. Water Management
Breakout Questions
3. How can educational opportunities between users be
created and sustained (ex – Municipal v. Irrigation;
Ogallala v. Reservoirs)?
• Start K-12 when children are learning
• Need for different types of education for different
groups
• Develop a comprehensive education plan and
implement the strategies to reach objectives
• Use the groups we currently have
• Get success stories out using the data and resources we
currently have

7. Water Management
Breakout Questions
Summary
• Funding
• Use conservation plans we currently have as a
valuable tool
• Manage quality and quantity.

8. New Sources of Supply Key Themes
• Restore water supply lost to sedimentation through dredging
and other in-lake sediment management techniques
• Where feasible and cost effective, allow for the transfer of
water supplies between basins
• Increase adoption of existing policies and develop new
policies and incentives to increase the reuse of water
• Reallocate water storage at any federal reservoir where such
actions are possible recognizing that this is often the cheapest
alternative for securing additional water storage
• Increase other sources of storage available for water supply
(Purple paper in packet)

9. New Sources of Supply
Breakout Questions
1. How can barriers to the reuse of water be overcome?
• Complete review of policy rules and regulations
affecting reuse water, ie – grey water, or produced
water.
• Overcoming public perception of reuse water.
Education will be a critical component.
• Infrastructure related to the distribution of grey water.

10. New Sources of Supply
Breakout Questions
2. What measures should be taken today to increase the
water storage available for the future?
• Maximize access to federal storage through either
purchase or reallocation.
• Recognize aquifers as storage vessels and the
increased value of recharge.
• Acknowledge protection creates additional source –
ie. Watershed restoration practices and conservation.
Permitting issues.

11. New Sources of Supply
Breakout Questions
3. What steps can be taken to make the best use of
abundant water supplies, such as the Missouri River, to
benefit Kansans?
• Identify all areas where surplus supply exists and the
policies that limit their use.
• Improve reservoir management and yield through
interconnections.
• Look at larger, longer term infrastructure that
have/add value to the entire state.

12. New Sources of Supply
Breakout Questions
Summary
• Infrastructure. Infrastructure. Infrastructure.
• Consider new, comprehensive ways to manage
storage.
• Sediment reduction and management is key.
• Select projects that have greatest bang for the buck.
• Water quality matters.

13. New Sources of Supply
Breakout Questions
NEW IDEAS
• Brackish water.
• KDOT is the largest land owner possibilities for use
of right-of-ways.
• Advocacy for water. Where does it come from? Do
we have enough? Follow the lead of other states.

14. Water Conservation Key Themes
• Even if not deemed a significant source of additional
supply, conservation has to be a part of the future vision
for water in Kansas
• Reduce barriers and increase development of locally
driven conservation and management plans
• Implement greater water conservation policies and
practices, both voluntary and non-voluntary
• Increase adoption of watershed practices that reduce
future water supply loss
• Information and education is key to increased adoption of
water conservation practices
(Blue paper in packet)

15. Water Conservation
Breakout Questions
1. What can be done to increase the adoption and
success of locally-driven conservation and management
plans?
• Changing from a culture of consumption to
conservation
• Identify and share local positive conservation efforts
• Communicate the benefits of conservation

16. Water Conservation
Breakout Questions
2. What are the barriers to the adoption of locally-driven
conservation (best management practices) measures?
• Undervaluing water
• Rate structures – focus on selling a service versus
selling water
• One size does not fit all
• Funding

17. Water Conservation
Breakout Questions
3. What consistent, long-term measures can be
employed to increase public information and education
to better promote water resource conditions and water
conservation opportunities?
• Support community conservation leaders
• Simplify the message
• “A day without water”

18. Technology & Crop Varieties
Key Themes
• Promotion of irrigation efficiency technologies
• Adoption of less water intensive crop varieties
• Promotion of technologies for the treatment of
alternative, lower quality sources of water
• Implementation of research-based technology aimed at
better understanding our state’s water supply
(Green paper in packet)

19. Technology & Crop Varieties
Breakout Questions
1. What policies, research and programmatic changes
are needed to increase adoption of irrigation
efficiency technologies and alternative crops?
• Real-time monitoring, on-farm technology to better
understand local, individual wells
• Understand economic value of water
• Develop alternative crop market holistically

20. Technology & Crop Varieties
Breakout Questions
2. What partnerships should be created and supported to
develop affordable technologies for the treatment of
alternative, lower quality sources of water?
• Incentivize early adoption
• Match water quality and water need
• Pursue technology for high-value water uses

21. Technology & Crop Varieties
Breakout Questions
3. How can technology best be used to understand our
state’s water supply? What is the end goal of the
research?
• Clearinghouse of information
• Use for short and long-term planning
• Real-time well data critical to sync/integrate across
technology

22. Technology & Crop Varieties
Breakout Questions
Summary
• Push for good research
• Continued education on programs and requirements
• Region economics will drive the adoption