Legislative Updates
Regulatory Changes to K.A.R. 5-1-4 through 5-1-12: Water Flowmeter Maintenance
As of August 14, 2026, K.A.R. 5-1-4 through 5-1-12 was amended to add the requirement that water right owners maintain a log of inspections, stating:
Each water right owner shall regularly inspect each water flowmeter operated by that owner during any period when water is diverted or can reasonably be expected to be diverted, to ensure that the water flowmeter is functioning properly. Each water right owner shall maintain a log of the inspections, verifying that the water flowmeter was operating in compliance at the time of each inspection, which shall be provided to the chief engineer upon request.K.A.R. 5-1-8 Water Flowmeter Maintenance (c)
Read the full regulation here: https://rules.ks.gov/browse/collections/0ae1e448-f5a1-4e09-9d6d-a488ac7c284a/policies/cee7290d-49ad-43f8-99c7-dfa157bbc262
The Division of Water Resources provided the following message to clarify what is accepted as a log for meter information.
DWR Meter Log MessageHouse Bills
Kansas House Bill No. 2279This bill passed in 2023 and provides additional requirements for all five GMD’s across Kansas. The bill requires GMD’s to present annual reports to the Kansas Legislature, to delineate High Priority Areas by July 2024 and to implement Action Plans by July 2026.
Kansas House Bill No. 2634This bill provides additional flexibility to Locally Enhanced Management Areas (LEMA). A GMD Board may choose to implement this flexibility in future LEMAs, which allows for (when approved in a LEMA plan) the base annual authorized water right to be exceeded in a given year, as long as the LEMA five-year quantity is not exceeded.
GMD1’s Annual Report to the House Committee on Water
Starting in 2023, the five Groundwater Management Districts in Kansas are required (per HB 2279) to annually report to the House Committee on Water and (upon request) to the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The GMD1 2025 Legislative report begins at the start of the video and concludes at approximately 24:18.
GMD 1 Legislative Report 2025GMD1 2025 Audit ReportThe above document has been submitted to the Kansas Legislature.
GMD1’s Annual 2024 Report to the House Committee on Water
February 4, 2025
GMD 1 report starts approx. 1 minute into the video.
View 2024 GMD1 Legislative ReportGMD1 2023 Audit Report.pdfGMD1’s Annual 2023 Report to the House Committee on Water
January 23, 2024
GMD 1 report starts at about minute 20:10.
View 2023 GMD1 Legislative Report2022 Audit.pdfIn January Governor Kelly charged the Kansas Water Authority and the Kansas Water Office to develop a plan to be presented to the Legislature in January of 2025. The planning process for this plan has just initially begun and Burns and McDonald a prominent consulting firm has been selected to assist in developing the plan. The first informational webinar was held on April 3rd, 2024 and the recording can be accessed by selecting the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFtfBfm-8R0. Representatives from the Kansas Water Office and Burns and McDonnell have indicated that there will be many opportunities over the next year for stakeholder input and discussion.