Kansas Water Office asks for new water‑planning, reservoir‑sediment funds; committee reviews reappropriations
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Summary
The Kansas Water Office requested new lines for regional water planning and reservoir sediment management and identified roughly $7.9 million in state water plan reappropriations; the agency proposed lapsing $1.135 million in lower‑priority carryforwards to help fund planning while committee members pressed pension (KPERS) contribution and reappropriation questions.
The Kansas Water Office on Wednesday told a legislative budget committee it seeks a new, ongoing line for water planning and project development and a separate reservoir sedimentation management line to address long‑term regional water needs and shrinking reservoir capacity.
Luke Drury, senior fiscal analyst with Legislative Research, reviewed the agency’s packet and told the committee the agency’s All‑Funds expenditures jump in FY22 was “associated with the debt payoff as it relates to Big Hill, Clinton, and Hillsdale reservoirs.” He said recent statutory changes (including enactment of Senate Sub for House Bill 2302) and one‑time adjustments are driving differences between FY26 and FY27 budget tables.
Connie Owen, director of the Kansas Water Office, said the two enhancements would fund long‑term regional planning and a range of sediment-management tools. “Our Eastern Kansas water supplies are dependent on those federal reservoirs that we have and they provide drinking water for two‑thirds of the state’s population,” Owen said, asking the committee to prioritize a planning line that would develop basin‑by‑basin cost estimates, data‑gaps and project pipelines.
Owen described the reservoir sedimentation request as a broader initiative than the single hydro‑suction pilot at John Redmond: the office would use the line to study and pursue a range of technologies and partnerships, including coordination with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers offices. The agency’s FY27 enhancement package was presented as a combined request that includes funds for water planning/project development and reservoir sediment initiatives; Drury and the agency gave line‑item details to the committee.
The Water Office said carryforward reappropriations from FY25–FY26 total roughly $7.9 million; about 70% of base budget plus reappropriation is already obligated in FY26, the agency said. To help fund the planning enhancement the agency identified four reappropriations it is comfortable lapsing, totaling $1,135,000: the EquisBeds chloride plume study ($66,786), most of the Kansas Reservoir Protection Initiative (retaining $25,000 for ongoing obligations), up to $712,000 tied to a now‑canceled federal RCPP grant for High Plains Aquifer partnerships, and $291,326 from water quality partnerships linked to the Milford Lake RCPP.
Drury also confirmed the agency expects $2,000,000 in National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awards across FY26–FY27 for playa restoration and Ogallala recharge projects.
Committee members asked for additional detail on which reappropriations are spent, encumbered or available; Drury said he could compile updated encumbrance data and the agency offered to provide current status. On the timeline for potential work, Owen said planning would begin with two basins and expand statewide to better align projects with local needs.
The committee did not take a final vote on the water office package Wednesday; members will resume formal recommendations tomorrow as part of a multi‑agency review before sending recommendations to Ways and Means.
