2026-2030 LEMA

News

An in-person public hearing will be held at 9:00 AM CST on Tuesday, January 13, 2026 at the Wichita County Fairgrounds (506 E M St, Leoti, KS) to consider the proposed 2026-2030 Wichita County Local Enhanced Management Area (LEMA) Management Plan submitted to the Chief Engineer of the Division of Water Resources, Kansas Department of Agriculture (DWR) by Western Kansas Groundwater Management District No. 1 (GMD1).

Any interested member of the public is welcome to submit written or oral statements to be included in the record of the hearing. Only oral statements will be accepted at the hearing. Written statements may be submitted before, during, or following the hearing, through January 27, 2026. Written statements may be provided by mail to the Kansas Department of Agriculture, c/o Ronda Hutton; 1320 Research Park Drive, Manhattan, Kansas 66502; faxed to (785) 564-6777; or e-mailed to ronda.hutton@ks.gov. 

For more information, please see Notice of Hearing in the Matter of the Proposed Wichita County LEMA.

2021-2025 LEMA

Public Hearing Recordings

• YouTube - Recording of Second Public Hearing (11/20/2020)
• YouTube - Recording of Initial Public Hearing (8/14/2020)

News Archive

On February 2, 2021, the Chief Engineer signed an Order of Designation creating the Wichita County LEMA. The Wichita County LEMA will be in effect through December 31, 2025.

On December 30, 2020, the Chief Engineer signed an Order of Decision approving the Wichita County LEMA Management Plan submitted by GMD1. The LEMA plan calls for reductions in water use in those areas of Wichita County within GMD1. Details about the LEMA plan are available in the 2021-2025 Wichita County LEMA Documents table below.

A second public hearing was held on November 20, 2020 to consider whether the proposed corrective control provisions in the Wichita County LEMA Management Plan are sufficient, and whether the plan should be accepted or rejected, or whether modifications should be proposed. The virtual-hybrid hearing was open to the public, allowed for in-person and online oral statements, and was broadcast live via the Kansas Department of Agriculture's YouTube channel. Any interested parties were welcome to submit oral or written statements into the record of the second hearing. Oral statements were only accepted during the hearing, while written comments were accepted through December 4, 2020. Written comments that were provided are available in the Second Public Hearing Comments and Testimony table below.

On September 16, 2020, the Acting Chief Engineer issued a Findings and Order Establishing the Initial Requirements for the Designation of a LEMA. He concluded that the proposed Wichita County LEMA satisfies the initial requirements necessary to continue the LEMA designation process and ordered that a second public hearing be conducted.

An initial public hearing was held on August 14, 2020 to determine whether the Wichita County LEMA Management Plan satisfies the initial requirements for approval. The virtual-hybrid hearing was open to the public, allowed for in-person and online oral statements, and was broadcast live via the Kansas Department of Agriculture's YouTube channel. Any interested parties were welcome to submit oral or written statements into the record of the initial hearing. Oral statements were only accepted during the hearing, while written comments were accepted through August 28, 2020. Written comments that were provided are available in the Initial Public Hearing Comments and Testimony table below.

The deadline for any party desiring to formally intervene in the proceeding was July 31, 2020. Electing not to formally intervene did not limit any party’s ability to provide testimony for the records of the public hearings.

On March 26, 2020, the GMD1 Board of Directors submitted a formal request to the Chief Engineer of DWR to designate a Wichita County LEMA. Included in the request was a Management Plan and Proposed Allocations for the LEMA period, which are available in the 2021-2025 Wichita County LEMA Documents table below.

2021-2025 Wichita County LEMA Documents

Second Public Hearing Comments and Testimony

Initial Public Hearing Comments and Testimony

Initiated

• March 26, 2020: GMD1 Board of Directors filed request to initiate proceedings for a Wichita County LEMA with the Chief Engineer

Reasons for recommendation

• To extend the Ogallala Aquifer supplies for the long term benefit of the area
• To address excessive water level declines and withdrawal rates exceeding recharge rates within the proposed Wichita County LEMA boundaries

Public Hearings

• Initial Public Hearing: August 14, 2020
• Second Public Hearing: November 20, 2020

Orders

• On Wednesday, September 16, 2020, the Acting Chief Engineer issued his Order Establishing the Initial Requirements for the Designation of a LEMA.
• On Wednesday, December 30, 2020, the Chief Engineer issued his Order of Decision Accepting the Management Plan for the Wichita County LEMA.
• On Tuesday, February 2, 2021, the Chief Engineer issued his Order of Designation Regarding the Management Plan for the Wichita County LEMA.

Resources

• Western Kansas GMD1, LEMA Information

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