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Equus Beds GMD highlights monitoring, ITI savings and emerging nitrate concerns
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Summary
Tim Baze, manager of the Equus Beds Groundwater Management District, reported on the district's monitoring network, the irrigation technology initiative (ITI) that yielded estimated 10% water savings in field evaluations, and emerging nitrate and chloride contamination concerns including discussion of a proposed $10 million funding line for the Burton chloride plume.
Tim Baze, manager of the Equus Beds Groundwater Management District (GMD 2), briefed the Committee on Water on the district's 2025 activities, monitoring work and emerging water-quality challenges.
Baze said GMD 2 owns and maintains roughly 400 monitoring wells measured at least quarterly, and the district contributed about 650 additional monitoring wells to statewide data. In 2025 the district took roughly 2,500 water-level measurements and nearly 300 water-quality samples; the district partners with the Kansas Geological Survey and the Kansas Corporation Commission for analysis and data work. He described the monitoring network as among the most extensive in the state.
On programs, Baze said the irrigation technology initiative (ITI) has been "wildly popular" locally. Evaluations showed many producers were pumping at higher rates than necessary; initial ITI reports suggested roughly 10% water savings for systems that adopted recommended changes, driven by fixes such as pressure regulators and nozzle packages.
Baze identified contaminants of concern. Nitrates are "an emerging" issue in shallower portions of the district — particularly in Reno County — affecting domestic wells and communities. He also flagged the Burton chloride plume and said about $10 million appeared in a proposed budget from the Kansas Water Office as one option for remediation, though he cautioned the funding was uncertain.
Members asked about county-level differences (for example, McPherson County’s historically higher reductions), GMD staffing, permit counts, and enforcement on issues such as overpumping and meter misreporting. Baze said GMD 2 operates with a lean staff (manager plus three employees), regularly inspects meters, and that meter tampering or misreporting is rare but has occurred.
Baze said long-term district averages show a modest decline (about 0.05 feet per year) but substantial local variation; 2025 showed an average rise in monitoring wells of about 2.43 feet due to wet weather. He offered to provide members with more detailed permit breakdowns and other data on request.
