Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
KDHE outlines statewide water-quality risks, highlights PFAS detections and contaminated-site backlog
Summary
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment told the Water Program Task Force that most impairments are driven by bacteria, sediment and nutrients, and that PFAS is an emerging contaminant of concern; KDHE also described thousands of contaminated sites and a funding shortfall for cleanup of orphan sites.
Leo Henning, deputy secretary and director of environment at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, told the Water Program Task Force that Kansas faces widespread surface- and groundwater quality challenges, and that a newly regulated family of chemicals — PFAS — has become a high-priority problem for public water systems and the environment.
Henning said KDHE implements federal programs including the Clean Water Act (NPDES permitting) and the Safe Drinking Water Act and monitors water quality across the state. “We have 30,620 stream miles that are considered waters of The U.S.,” he said, and listed bacteria, sediment and nutrients as the most frequent causes of impairment. Henning added that trash is a growing citizen concern in streams.
Why it matters: KDHE…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
