Frequently Asked Questions
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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”.
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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.
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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.
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