[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6497600,"mediaKeyId","5566397-5c9ed5b9f2a4a64bc3ec341d42720ee3","parentId",5566397,"title","Dairy expansion in Kansas raises water‑footprint questions but producers report low on‑farm use and rising efficiency","audioSeconds",3882,"startMs",13320000,"endMs",17202000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5566397-5c9ed5b9f2a4a64bc3ec341d42720ee3&start=13320&end=17202","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5566397-5c9ed5b9f2a4a64bc3ec341d42720ee3/thumbnail_13320000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6497600/Kansas/Dairy-expansion-in-Kansas-raises-waterfootprint-questions-but-producers-report-low-onfarm-use-and-rising-efficiency","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6497600-a0a3eb3cd3e81c7f93b4688716585786/orig.mp4?Expires=1770928913&Signature=oc7QCi~xT5QXv1aLf1fD4SvUVV~oin7nNRiUHixgbk1IGJQUcp-PLraCVcuAhp1Jo7GIHI4BO6GqTarEk2ty6ubdAen-sgBMsjQLFg9wz9SSD-dcO72vNOTnoZiRfXzPEIUxm5~Z517OJxwit-s3sJcpdHOfON9~lGi3D3vtPqEZSICSoWfcaB81Yo6714x-dqiHGaAMLY9cpjyTF-gS12YbXvYCYS6WoFDVglWUt4eDK-d3dvG7FaZeT6ckHk8gw4UBxfwnWt-odNdH8o4fdG8wqXJqMaeYX2TMWX3lVIJ3jF0TtVM1llxUiOx~AXBTplI5j7W5s3x1P7MGdQMcQg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kansas Legislature","date","2025-08-12T21:36:14.357Z","article","Kansas State University dairy specialists presented data and recommendations about the state’s rapidly growing dairy sector and its water footprint.

Extension dairy specialist Mike Burock summarized trends: Kansas dairies have grown from roughly 77,000 cows in the 1990s to more than 200,000 lactating cows in mid‑2025, while the number of dairy farms has fallen but existing farms have become much larger. Increased milk per cow and concentration of production account for most production gains. Burock said Kansas is a net exporter of milk and that expanding on‑state processing has supported herd growth.

On water, presenters stressed that roughly 85–95 percent of the dairy water footprint is tied to feed production. On‑farm water uses—drinking, parlor sanitation, milking equipment cooling, manure flushing and animal cooling—are a smaller share. K‑State‑compiled pumping records from a sample of farms (2000–2009) found on‑farm blue‑water (ground and surface water) used per lactating cow ranged roughly from 49 to 72 gallons per cow per day across facility types; some producer/industry data from other states showed similar or lower figures after system improvements and wastewater recycling.

Presenters highlighted water recycling and wastewater reuse as a major opportunity. On several Kansas operations, lagoon effluent irrigated to crops reduces net groundwater pumping for feed production; one plant and farm example cited combined process recovery and irrigation saving hundreds of millions of gallons per year. The presenters also noted that shifts in cropping choices (more drought‑tolerant forages and genomic improvements in corn) and manure management (less flushing, more solids capture, digesters) reduce irrigation demand and evaporation losses from lagoons.

Burock emphasized that many efficiency gains have come from facility design (free‑stall barns, ventilation, targeted cow cooling) and better feed management. He asked for continued investment in research infrastructure (K‑State field facilities) to evaluate forage options and best practices under Kansas conditions.

Ending: Dairy presenters called for better data collection on farm and processing water flows, for recognition that feed production dominates the dairy water footprint, and for coordinated funding and research to test drought‑tolerant feed strategies and wastewater reuse that reduce groundwater pumping.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Water Program Task Force 08/12/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Kansas dairy specialists told the task force the state’s dairies have expanded and become more efficient: most water used to support dairies is for feed production, not on‑farm drinking or processing, and recycling wastewater to irrigate crops reduces net groundwater pumped.","taxTitle","Senate, Committees, Legislative, Kansas","taxId",15103,"location","Kansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6497603,"Corps of Engineers outlines sedimentation challenge, starts Topeka‑built water‑injection dredge trial at Tuttle/Tele Creek",472,12444000,12916000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5566397-5c9ed5b9f2a4a64bc3ec341d42720ee3&start=12444&end=12916","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5566397-5c9ed5b9f2a4a64bc3ec341d42720ee3/thumbnail_12444000.jpg","/articles/6497603/Kansas/Corps-of-Engineers-outlines-sedimentation-challenge-starts-Topekabuilt-waterinjection-dredge-trial-at-TuttleTele-Creek","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6497603-6455b4b3da2db7d25470ecf951d5afaf/orig.mp4?Expires=1770928913&Signature=abq7aZsosKKBmUJpUR~lExxwUMV4E3heGh5ezpVPMUW5Hsepnpra1~yviHDAnb-FugjcB~PlcsTjaAfAYSiRLl2HcemfBsbUqzzQk2hIcmYmDdVp53J8ArUHlifhxsNQjv4l0wvbBNi1F09HDPtVRIL2177F0Yv0EOusYifyHKnylLFq8wB~RDALkq-8-1D~V3DWUGVKTxL4JGOEGZJNeZGQvgwso-6Qagqkf-QbuXCx7GhfxEZF4prmQXY9~xA1JfkTVxq0pDsajnoosHntMEyy1trx3QM5CsJAVq11rRvMp0UjY~IGZijvmbQbSSJxQpUElvivtZoggb-AuBACDA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Corps of Engineers representatives told the Governor’s Water Task Force that reservoir sedimentation is a growing operational challenge across Kansas and described steps the Corps is taking, including a Kansas‑funded test of a water‑injection dredging system at Tuttle/Tele Creek and ongoing planning for John Redmond.

Todd (Kansas City District) and Tulsa District staff summarized recent reservoir surveys that show cumulative storage loss at many lakes. They said the Corps is working with the Kansas Water Office and local sponsors on a range of approaches: reduce sediment delivery in watersheds, redistribute sediment inside reservoirs, and remove sediment by traditional dredging or new methods.

The Corps described a Kansas‑funded water‑injection dredging demonstration that will be built near Topeka and tested at Tell Creek/Tuttle Creek. The prototype uses high‑capacity pumps and a cutter to suspend sediment and move it toward the dam where controlled releases would pass material downstream. The Corps stressed the demonstration is research‑and‑development: the trial will test operational feasibility, sediment export efficiency and downstream impacts to the lake and river. The first trial period was scheduled for fall with additional intervals next spring; monitoring is built in to assess downstream movement and water quality.

At John Redmond Reservoir (Tulsa District), the Corps explained past conventional dredging that used cutter suction and confined disposal facilities (CDFs) restored a few million cubic yards of storage but is expensive and temporary. The Corps outlined hydro‑suction concepts—passing sediment through dam conduits or over spillways—and said hydro‑suction is preliminary and must be assessed for downstream water quality, endangered species and infrastructure impacts. Corps staff said John Redmond’s importance as a cooling water source for Wolf Creek nuclear plant makes long‑term storage maintenance a high priority.

The Army Corps encouraged multi‑agency, multi‑state and local partnerships to scale research and implement long‑term sediment management. Task force members discussed whether to pursue authorization and appropriations for broader regional studies and urged early coordination with Colorado and Nebraska when interstate sediment and streamflow dynamics intersect reservoirs that serve multiple states.

Ending: the Corps asked the task force to consider funding and authorization pathways for longer‑term regional sediment engineering work while the Topeka‑built R&D dredge proceeds as a near‑term test.","Kansas City and Tulsa corps districts briefed the task force on reservoir sedimentation, a Kansas‑funded water‑injection dredging demonstration to test passing fine sediment through gates, and dredging/hydrosuction options at John Redmond reservoir used for cooling water at the Wolf Creek nuclear plant.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6497613,"Kansas DWR details groundwater impairment investigations, urges monitoring and local solutions",470,5708000,6178000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5566397-5c9ed5b9f2a4a64bc3ec341d42720ee3&start=5708&end=6178","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5566397-5c9ed5b9f2a4a64bc3ec341d42720ee3/thumbnail_5708000.jpg","/articles/6497613/Kansas/Kansas-DWR-details-groundwater-impairment-investigations-urges-monitoring-and-local-solutions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6497613-6c2ec8f5b00d0a1ab8e25c88b7efbd7e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770928913&Signature=E0q1lNkJunlUWNdNh0V1IGs2gBd7qM5WPDfRHEq4YfpSjXf~Ck3-SpdDP8ry2E-o9Euz24VbsJ-Pl27J~1HiGQWn4Ko0t8alajwdWVRImKggoqEhxuRv4jqLEpBSmt3Bha9rjlQ90TMzQnACEn954~tBgHEhA8-BgRG5jwLhQb6th5WBpq~Zpv5km5xWUxFmucSzVqPqm~UwIrAlp5fUjSFL-X0B981m9XwrnEwPaJBbCLx8Kr1kGNHbAFBSZri4R7QqUCKZaqodKPRg8887VQHaY0DedUMwt6XLDdcm6LWY0Aa32rNP55MVgPFdmIKzPkoson8yoVEiu7EWiZGKgw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Kansas Division of Water Resources (DWR) briefed the Governor’s Water Task Force on a series of recent groundwater impairment investigations, describing how the complaint‑driven process works, what monitoring is used and several examples in recent years where senior water rights were impaired by nearby pumping.

DWR’s program manager for the water rights investigatory unit, Chris Veil, outlined the agency’s approach: preliminary troubleshooting (check pumping equipment, well construction and screens), then instrument the area with pressure transducers and telemetry to record water levels and pumping timing, and finally use groundwater modeling to quantify whether junior pumping significantly affected the senior right. Veil said investigations often require a full pumping season to build a robust record.

Veil summarized multiple investigations across western and central Kansas (Stevens County, Haskell County, Clark County, Gray County and other locations). In several cases the Ogallala behaved in a semi‑confined way and pressure waves transmitted quickly between wells; in others, multiple junior wells were curtailed to restore senior rights. He noted a 2012 Haskell County case where litigation and administrative processes led to multiple curtailments and subsequent statutory changes to encourage exhaustion of administrative remedies before court challenges.

DWR staff noted the difficulty of surface‑water vs. groundwater interactions, and that short‑term retirement of pumping benefits nearby areas but longer‑term regional responses are complex because of recharge lags and how local hydrogeology controls lateral flow. On domestic wells, Veil said benefits of curtailment are usually local: “savings of any intervention in a location benefits that location predominantly,” but added there can be lags of decades for water to reach streams in some settings.

The office described standard remedies—setting trigger levels, telemetry to give operators advance notice, and negotiating voluntary resolutions where possible. Several curtailments remain in place and in some instances senior water rights owners later bought adjacent rights to consolidate supply.

Task force members pressed DWR about how to align broader programs, how to educate permit applicants, and how to balance local solutions with statewide planning. DWR said telemetry and monitoring networks, coupled with local cooperation, reduce the need for formal curtailment and argued that this data‑driven approach is necessary to fairly administer first‑in‑time rights.","Kansas Division of Water Resources described recent groundwater impairment cases, explained its complaint‑driven investigative process and urged local problem‑solving and telemetry to reduce conflicts between senior and junior users.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6497617,"Kansas task force hears evidence that irrigation technology reduces withdrawals but not acreage",1702,1992000,3694000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5566397-5c9ed5b9f2a4a64bc3ec341d42720ee3&start=1992&end=3694","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5566397-5c9ed5b9f2a4a64bc3ec341d42720ee3/thumbnail_1992000.jpg","/articles/6497617/Kansas/Kansas-task-force-hears-evidence-that-irrigation-technology-reduces-withdrawals-but-not-acreage","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6497617-6377c98015db61ec170467f23c945c22/orig.mp4?Expires=1770928913&Signature=RspeWDGgFr6fOA3S~y6YsHJ-NlHAHgBFTv1kBgngZWx2PYZ4Y3ViO1~AZpi1Ez~Bh2leTQVgKaxIsQ4m8zB--1M1aqQZX6D1X2Jtvmu~19Cv7GmJSpxLpIBW~ExHFHTF04LCCJjlTOWfm4Cj30ryTbKi3vOO65s4GUPxKxUw9Rg-BL~~moeHs8jLGxfoRiESMcjcCkkwjPxvREdf5JrLTyIL~4iEIRbpB66YD8MTKg~fq2bm8m5XFGQU2TV9t2WRlmBCW9j6JsFBH109r6v5I6F-Pr8Q-GwAUiVYhJgfCugwwo7qgzdCldpQSLG3~lj96ggsolyEzTXJYQ9YynPBKQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kansas State University researchers told the Governor’s Water Task Force in Dodge City that adoption of modern irrigation systems and decision‑support technologies has produced measurable reductions in groundwater withdrawals while often preserving irrigated acreage and farm incomes.

Two K‑State presenters, Darren Rudnick, director of sustainable irrigation, and economist Micah (last name not given), summarized national and state-level data showing that moving from flood to center‑pivot irrigation and adding sensors, telemetry and soil‑moisture monitoring can lower water pumped per acre by roughly 3–20 percent, depending on region and technology. They stressed the distinction between the intensive margin (water applied per acre) and the extensive margin (number of acres irrigated), and said most observed declines are on the intensive margin.

The presenters told the task force that when irrigators convert from flood irrigation to center pivots, they typically see a near‑term drop in water withdrawals—with little or no immediate reduction in irrigated acres. Research summarized by the economists showed a roughly 10–20 percent drop in withdrawals soon after center‑pivot adoption in study areas; adoption of lower‑energy precision application (LEPA) and subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) produced smaller incremental gains but still net reductions in many comparisons. The presenters said older research suggesting efficiency gains cause more pumping (a “rebound”) did not hold up in newer analyses with Kansas well‑level data.

Rudnick described technology and management elements that influence whether efficiency gains translate into water savings: system uniformity (catch‑can and pressure tests), well/pumping plant alignment with distribution systems, decision support (ET models, crop/plant sensors, remote sensing) and education/mentoring. He said producer mentoring and human contact often account for a large share of adoption and water savings; technology alone is not a silver bullet. K‑State’s on‑farm TAPS demonstration program was cited as a tool for comparing management strategies and surfacing real‑world results.

Micah, the agricultural economist, framed water as a productive capital asset. He reported research using parcel sales and well records that finds irrigated land commands a premium (estimates shown in presentation: roughly $1,500 per acre change in land value where irrigation is lost in the datasets cited). That capitalization of irrigation value makes farmers reluctant to give up irrigated acres: when efficiencies lower the cost of pumping, many producers maintain acreage and reduce per‑acre pumping instead, reinforcing the importance of managing both margins if the policy goal is to reduce total withdrawals.

Both speakers flagged variability in impacts across Kansas. In western Kansas, where aquifer decline is greatest, reductions in applied depth have been observed without large acreage losses in some places. In wetter eastern areas, the dynamic differs and some new irrigation infrastructure has been installed for risk management in episodic drought years.

What this means: modern pivots, nozzle packages, SDI and decision‑support tools can reduce groundwater withdrawals, but those gains often show up as lower depth applied rather than fewer irrigated acres. Presenters recommended pairing technology investments with incentive or market mechanisms (multiyear allocations, water banks, compensation programs) and continuing producer education and mentoring so efficiency gains become conserved water instead of only lower cost of production.

Ending: Presenters told the task force they could provide more location‑specific estimates and urged continued investment in farm‑scale demonstrations, mentoring programs and improved data — including well‑level pumping records and coordinated monitoring — to measure whether efficiency gains deliver conservation at watershed scale.","Kansas State University researchers told the Governor’s Water Task Force that modern irrigation systems and decision-support technology have reduced groundwater withdrawals in many places but usually did not shrink irrigated acreage, protecting farm economics even as water use per acre falls.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Dairy expansion in Kansas raises water‑footprint questions but producers report low on‑farm use and rising efficiency

Corps of Engineers outlines sedimentation challenge, starts Topeka‑built water‑injection dredge trial at Tuttle/Tele Creek

Kansas DWR details groundwater impairment investigations, urges monitoring and local solutions

Kansas task force hears evidence that irrigation technology reduces withdrawals but not acreage