Water Transition Assistance Program
Voluntary Enrollment is Open Now!
The Water Transition Assistance Program (WTAP) is a voluntary, incentive-based program that helps Kansas landowners permanently retire irrigation water rights in targeted, high-priority areas. The Kansas Department of Agriculture has received a Bureau of Reclamation grant and is currently conducting a WTAP enrollment. Through the program, privately held irrigation water rights are permanently retired in exchange for payment by the State of Kansas, with priority given to rights that provide the greatest beneficial impact to local streams and aquifers in the most critical hydrologic zones. WTAP supports long-term groundwater conservation, protects streamflows, and offers producers a practical pathway to transition from irrigated to dryland farming while strengthening the sustainability of Kansas agriculture.
Spring Enrollment
Application materials are available below for landowners interested in participating in the program.
Eligible applicants may receive up to $6,000 per acre-foot of Historic Consumptive Water Use (HCWU) associated with the water right. Additional federal or local funding may be combined to enhance the total incentive payment, where available.
Available Forms: