Kansas panel hears why State Water Plan funds were carried into next fiscal year

At a legislative committee hearing, state water officials detailed why millions in State Water Plan Fund appropriations were carried forward into the next fiscal year, citing multi‑year projects, federal contracting timelines and new program startup needs.

Luke Drury, senior fiscal analyst with Legislative Research, opened the discussion by presenting a multi‑year table of State Water Plan Fund reappropriations, showing totals for the three agencies that receive the largest annual state water plan appropriations.

The largest single carryover discussed was a roughly $7 million one‑time dedication tied to efforts in Rattlesnake Creek, officials said. Earl Lewis, chief engineer with the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Water Resources, told the committee that most of that $7 million was set aside to work with local stakeholders on resolving competing water uses around Rattlesnake Creek and a senior federal water right held by a national wildlife refuge. Lewis said the state used the funds to support an augmentation plan, studies and short‑term leasing arrangements.

Lewis and other agency speakers described how $4 million of the $7 million was placed in a water transition and CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program) line to lease water rights over a…