grounwater management district no 1
Our Address
Western Kansas Groundwater Management
District No.1
906 W. 5th
P.O. Box 604
Scott City, KS 67871
Line 1: (620) 872-5563
Line 2: (620) 872-7375
Fax: (620) 872-7315
E-mail: gmd1@wbsnet.org
Our staff
Kyle Spencer, Manager
gmd1@wbsnet.org
Valorie Rolfs, Admin Assistant
admin@wbsnet.org
Kyle Spencer, Chief Pilot
hangar@wbsnet.org
Pat Ryan, Field Technician
Board of Directors
Greg Graff, President
Wichita County Representative
Danny Welsh,
Vice-President
Wallace County Representative
Robert Hoeme Jr., Secretary-Treasurer
Scott County
Representative
Mark Callender, Member
Lane County
Representative
Mark Cavenee, Member
Greeley
County Representative
Frequently asked questions
1) What is the purpose of the Groundwater Management District?
The legislative declaration states “a need exists for the creation of special districts for the proper management of the groundwater resources of the state; for associated endeavors within the state of Kansas through the stabilization of agriculture; and to secure for Kansas the benefit of its fertile soils and favorable location with respect to national and world markets. It is the policy of this act to preserve basic water use doctrine and to establish the right of local water users to determine their destiny with respect to the use of the groundwater insofar as it does not conflict with the basic laws and policies of the state of Kansas”.
2) How is the board of directors elected?
The board of directors is elected at the annual meeting of the District. The eligible voters in attendance at the meeting elect those members. Eligible voters of the district that are interested in running for the board of directors must file a notice of intent to run for the respective board position at least twenty days prior to the annual meeting. Once elected, the position is for a three-year period.
3) Who are eligible voters?
“Eligible voter means any person who is a landowner or a water user as defined in this act except as hereafter qualified. Every natural person of the age of eighteen (18) years or upward shall be an eligible voter of a district under this act if (1) he or she is a landowner who owns, of record, any land or any interest in land, comprising forty (40) or more contiguous acres located within the boundaries of the district and not within the corporate limits of any municipality, or (2) he or she withdraws or uses groundwater from within the boundaries of the district in an amount of one acre-foot or more per year”.
4) Where does the funding come from?
The funding for the district comes from either a land assessment not to exceed $.05 per acre or a water assessment not to exceed $1.00 per acre-foot for each acre-foot authorized under the water right. If the water user does not utilize the entire right, they may file a verified claim with the district prior to April 1st of each year certifying the actual amount of water used. The district may assess any combination of the land and water assessments.
5) Who needs a water right?
Anyone that withdraws water for any use, other than domestic, is required to have a water right. The priority of the appropriation right to the use of water dates from the time of filing of the application in the office of the chief engineer. The priority of the appropriation right for domestic use dates from either the time of filing in the office of the chief engineer or from the time the user first makes actual use of water for domestic purposes. As between persons with appropriation rights, the first in time is the first in right.
6) What is a vested right?
A vested right means the right of a person under a common law or statutory claim to continue the use of water having actually been applied to any beneficial use, including domestic use, on or before June 28, 1945.
7) Who administers the water laws in Kansas?
The water laws in Kansas are administered by the Division of Water Resources of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture. The chief engineer is the individual that is responsible for the conduct of this law.
8) What about rules and regulations?
The Division of Water Resources and the Groundwater Management Districts have the authority to develop rules and regulations as granted in the respective acts.
web links
Kansas Water Congress
http://www.kswatercongress.org
KANSAS GMD’S
Western Kansas GMD 1
http://www.gmd1.org
Equus Beds GMD 2
http://www.gmd2.org
Southwest Kansas GMD 3
http://www.gmd3.org
Northwest Kansas GMD 4
http://www.gmd4.org
Big Bend GMD 5
http://www.gmd5.org
STATE AGENCY LINKS
Kansas Dept of Agriculture
http://agriculture.ks.gov/home
Kansas Division of Water Resources
http://agriculture.ks.gov/divisions-programs/dwr
KANSAS WATER OFFICE
http://www.kwo.ks.gov/
KANSAS GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
http://www.kgs.ku.edu
KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
http://www.kdheks.gov
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
General Irrigation Page
http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/irrigate
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Subsurface Drip Irrigation Page
http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/sdi
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Weather Stations
http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/wdl
STATE CONSERVATION COMMISSION
http://www.scc.ks.gov
OTHER LINKS
NATIONAL GROUNDWATER ASSOCIATION
http://www.ngwa.org
FRESHWATER FOUNDATION
http://www.freshwater.org
WESTERN STATES WATER COUNCIL
http://www.westgov.org/wswc/
U.S. WATER NEWS – Halstead, KS
http://www.uswaternews.com
NATIONAL WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION
http://www.nwra.org
EPA
http://www.epa.gov
KANSAS RURAL WATER ASSOCIATION
http://www.krwa.net
GROUNDWATER FOUNDATION
http://www.groundwater.org/
GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS ASSC
http://www.gmdausa.org