The formal phase public hearing to address the City of Wichita’s proposed modifications to Phase II of the city’s Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Project will resume in early February. The hearing will begin on Wednesday, February 3, 2021, and will continue as needed on February 4, 5, 18 and 19. The proceedings will begin each day at 8:30 a.m. and will end each day no later than 4:30 p.m. except on February 5, when they will end at noon.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the hearing will be held partially in person and partially virtually. In-person proceedings will take place at the Kansas Learning Center for Health in Halstead, Kansas, and will be open only to certain formal parties to the proceedings. The in-person hearing location will not be open to the public. The public will be able to view the hearing proceedings virtually, using either Zoom or YouTube.  

If you would like to view the hearing via Zoom, you must obtain the hearing access information by contacting Ronda Hutton at 785-564-6715 or Ronda.Hutton@ks.gov at least 24 hours in advance of the hearing. The hearing can be viewed via YouTube using a link that will be publicly available on the Kansas Department of Agriculture–Division of Water Resources Wichita ASR webpage: www.agriculture.ks.gov/WichitaASR.

The public will also have the opportunity to provide written comments regarding the proposed modifications, which can be submitted by mail to Ronda Hutton, Kansas Department of Agriculture, 1320 Research Park Drive, Manhattan, KS 66502, attn: Wichita ASR Project Testimony or by email to Ronda.Hutton@ks.gov. Comments must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on February 26, 2021. Comments that have already been submitted or presented in these proceedings do not need to be re-submitted.

More information on the proposed modifications is available online at KDA–DWR’s website: www.agriculture.ks.gov/WichitaASR. Updated information, including any scheduling changes, will be made available on that site.