Kansas Geological Survey, Public Information Circular (PIC) 18
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Managing Water in the Aquifer

By Kansas law, water is a public resource and belongs to the people of the state. Individuals, companies, municipalities, and other entities can obtain permission to use water for beneficial purposes if they obtain a water right. In general, all beneficial uses of water, except most domestic use, must obtain a water right. Kansas water law is based on the doctrine of prior appropriation. That is, when there is insufficient water to meet all water rights, the date of the water right determines who has the right to use the water. This doctrine is commonly expressed as "First in time, first in right."

Responsibility for managing water use in Kansas is spread over several agencies. The Division of Water Resources of the Kansas Department of Agriculture is responsible for administering water rights, and thus is primarily responsible for regulation related to the quantity of water used. Water issues also are subject to local control and management. Five groundwater management districts have been created in Kansas to provide local management of the resource within the framework of the state's water laws. Together, they cover nearly all of the state underlain by the High Plains aquifer (fig. 8).

Figure 8--Groundwater management district boundaries in Kansas.

Groundwater management districts, through staff and an elected board, develop and implement policies and rules and regulations to manage and protect the quality of water, undertake educational activities, and work with state and federal water-related agencies to regulate and manage the High Plains aquifer.

A variety of other agencies deal with other aspects of water in the state. The Kansas Geological Survey, for example, is a research and service division of the University of Kansas and undertakes a variety of water-related activities, but has no regulatory responsibility. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment monitors water-quality issues. The Kansas Water Office, working with the Kansas Water Authority, is responsible for water planning. That planning is according to drainage basins, or areas that are drained by a common stream, such as the Cimarron River or Neosho River. Each of those basins is represented by a volunteer basin advisory committee. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Kansas State University's Extension program, the Kansas Biological Survey, the U.S. Geological Survey, and other state and federal agencies have various responsibilities for water.

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Kansas Geological Survey, Public Outreach
1930 Constant Ave., Lawrence, KS 66047-3726
Phone: (785) 864-3965, Fax: (785) 864-5317
bsawin@kgs.ku.edu
Web version October 2001
http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Publications/pic18/pic18_5.html