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Kansas Services
Directory
Easy access to information on
Kansas services and programs from a central
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The Lower Arkansas River Basin in Kansas is part
of the Arkansas River basin. The Arkansas River originates
in central Colorado, where it flows southeast into and across
southern Kansas. The Arkansas River crosses the
Kansas-Oklahoma border south of Arkansas City (Cowley County).
The Arkansas basin in Kansas is divided into two basins, Upper
and Lower, for planning purposes. The Lower Arkansas basin
begins where Rattlesnake Creek confluences with the Arkansas
River in southwestern Rice County. The only major federal
reservoir in the basin is Cheney Reservoir. The Lower
Arkansas basin covers 11,500 square miles of south central
Kansas and includes all or part of 20 counties.

|
No. |
Member Name |
Representative
Category |
Term
Expires |
|
1. |
Chairperson - Byron
Warta, Newton, KS |
Conservation |
6/30/2013 |
|
2. |
Vice Chairperson -
Vaughn Weaver, Wichita, KS |
Fish and Wildlife |
6/30/2011 |
|
3. |
Mike Brothers, Lyons, KS |
Non-Municipal PWS |
6/30/2013 |
|
4. |
Sharon Falk, Stafford, KS |
Recreation |
6/30/2013 |
|
5. |
Daniel Filbert, Macksville, KS |
Agriculture |
6/30/2013 |
|
6. |
Budd Fountain, Langdon, KS |
At Large Western Basin |
6/30/2011 |
|
7. |
Suzanne Loomis, Newton, KS |
Municipal PWS |
6/30/2011 |
|
8. |
Larry Mangan, Wellington, KS |
At Large Public |
6/30/2013 |
|
9. |
Carolyn McGinn, Sedgwick, KS |
GMD |
6/30/2011 |
|
10. |
Brian Meier, Wichita, KS |
Industry/Commerce |
6/30/2013 |
|
11. |
Jay Zimmerman, South Haven, KS |
Conservation/Environment |
6/30/2011 |
Lower Arkansas BAC Member Update
Byron Warta, Chairperson
I have lived in the Arkansas Basin for 40 years and have seen
many changes in water issues. Counties, cities, and
townships within the basin have diverse interests that keep
Basin Advisory Committee work varied and challenging. The Equus
Beds groundwater and the Arkansas and Little Arkansas rivers are
important in the regional economy and in providing water supply
for municipal, agricultural and industrial needs. Basin Advisory
Committee members are important in educating members of the
public, both formally and informally about water issues within
the basin. My personal interest is to promote cooperation
concerning conservation issues. Basin Advisory Committee members
can inform the Kansas Water Authority on local issues needing
attention, then take recommendations on actions to address those
issues back to their local communities. Legislative
contacts are also a role of BAC members to let them gauge public
support for water issues. Because I have land interests in
several other basins within the state, serving as Chair of the
Lower Arkansas Basin Advisory Committee allows me to better
understand problems and solutions in other basins. BAC
members can collaborate with each other to provide a more
powerful voice in the governing of water in the future.
Byron Warta spends most of his retirement years doing things
that could not be attained during a very busy work life. Most of
my life has been involved with animal agriculture; my younger
years on a dairy in NE Kansas, later majoring in dairy
manufacturing at KSU and then working with nutrition and
management for 40 years, even into retirement. My wife and I are
proud Grandparents of 4 Grandchildren who are 5th generation KSU
Grad's. Encouraged by a good friend I started to attend Lower
Arkansas Basin Advisory Committee Meetings 15 years ago and now
serve as Chair.

- Water News for the Basin Advisory
Committee Members

River Basin Photo
Gallery
Upcoming Meetings & Meeting Materials
-
September 22, 2010, LARK BAC
Meeting - 9:00 a.m., GMD #5 Office,
Stafford, KS
Information
Sheet - Attending a KWA Meeting as a Representative of your BAC
Current Projects in the Lower
Arkansas Basin
-
Aquifer Storage and Recharge (ASR)
-
Wichita WRAPS - A Clear Tomorrow for Our
River's Future. The City of Wichita, under a grant agreement
with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE),
is developing a Watershed Restoration and Protection
Strategy (WRAPS) program for the Lower Arkansas River
watershed within the city limits.
-
Little Arkansas River WRAPS - Sponsored by
K-State Research & Extension
-
Arkansas River Coalition - The Arkansas River
Coalition is a non-profit organization working to protect
and improve the Arkansas River Watershed. We are
centered in Wichita, KS, but have a wide-geographical
membership. Originating in 1998 through the hard-work of our
founders, we have built a strong membership base and are
recognized throughout the state of Kansas as a major water
conservation group.
-
Rattlesnake Creek - Efforts are underway to
re-energize the Rattlesnake Creek Partnership group in early
2008 to help update and refine a hydrologic model for
demonstration of various scenarios in managing the water
resources of the basin.
-
REAP Natural Resource Inventory - A GIS based
map of the nine county REAP area is being prepared to assist
planners, developers and land owners in protecting and
conserving natural resources in the area.
-
Cheney Lake Watershed Inc., a private,
non-profit organization, is based upon a unique urban/rural
partnership. Farmers, ranchers, and other rural residents of
this 633,449 acre watershed are working with the City of
Wichita, the largest city in Kansas, to protect a primary
drinking water source for more than 300,000 people.
Within this unusual partnership lies the key to a successful
watershed program that is recognized throughout Kansas and
the United States.
Basin Related Links
Past Meetings & Meeting Materials
-
August 5-6, 2010 - Kansas Water
Authority Meeting - Paola Fire Department
Training Room, 202 East Wea, Paola, KS -
Meeting Materials
-
June 30, 2010, Lower Arkansas BAC
Meeting - 9:00 a.m., Water
Center, Wichita, KS
-
May 13-14, 2010, Kansas Water Authority
Meeting - iSi Environmental Services, 215 S. Laura,
Wichita, KS -
Meeting Materials
-
March 3, 2010 - 9:00 a.m., City
of Hutchinson Water Treatment Plant, Hutchinson, KS
Questions?
Contact Debra.Baker@kwo.ks.gov
- KWO Lower Arkansas Basin Planner -
Deb is an
Environmental Scientist and Water Resources Planner. Her background is
in aquatic biology, watershed management and environmental planning.
She has been with the Kansas Water Office for seven years and was
previously employed by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment
and several environmental consulting firms. |
|
Meeting Notes
June 2010
March 2010
Oct. 2009
July 2009
May 2009
Feb. 2009
Oct. 2008
July 2008
May 2008
Feb. 2008
Sept. 2007
July 2007
May 2007
March 2007
Nov. 2006
Oct. 2006
June 2006
March 2006
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