Quivira NWR Resolution

The District is working with area stakeholders to provide a sustainable remedy to the Quivira NWR impairment complaint. The issue at hand is extremely complex and affects the livelihood of several generations throughout this region. As such, the District is considering every option thoroughly and consulting expert hydrogeologists to ensure that the objectives put forward are effective and based on the best science available. 

The District is leading a team that is in direct discussions with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service leadership. The two parties have met regularly since 2019 to find a local, voluntary, collaborative solution. In a special board meeting on July 24, 2020, the District board approved a Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that outlines a pathway forward for the resolution for years to come. 

The Memorandum of Agreement can be found here.

The work is not yet complete. The District stands committed to working to resolve this issue and is currently working through the Watershed Plan process with NRCS.

Earlier this year, KDA-DWR convened several stakeholder groups to put together short term projects to provide “measurable progress” toward addressing the impairment at Quivira NWR. 

The Rattlesnake Creek working group includes:

• KDA-DWR
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Kansas Governor's Office
• NRCS-KS
• Kansas' Congressional Delegation
• Kansas Farm Bureau
• Kansas Livestock Association
• Kansas Corn
• Central Kansas Water Bank Association
• Big Bend Groundwater Management District No. 5
• Audubon of Kansas
• Kansas Water Users Association
• WaterPACK
• Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association
• The Nature Conservancy

This group has met five times since January. In these meetings, the various groups have rehashed the same issues and concerns the region has been wrestling with for several decades. Currently, there are 2-3 pilot projects being drafted by the group, including pilot augmentation of streamflow, water bank deposit compensation, and water conservation area. Details for these projects will be outlined soon in at a public meeting in St John.