Lower Arkansas

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.

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

• Kansas Water Plan (KWP)

• KWP Lower Arkansas Basin Section

• KWP Lower Arkansas Atlas

• KWO Calendar

• Kansas Water Authority

• KWA Meeting Materials

• Equus Beds GMD No. 2

• Big Bend GMD No. 5

• Wichita WRAPS

• Little Arkansas WRAPS

• Wichita ASR Project

• REAP

• Arkansas River Coalition

• Water Databases List for REAP Website

• Cheney Lake Watershed

• Kansas Geological Survey - High Plains Aquifer

• Zebra Mussels

Past Meetings & Meeting Materials

• August 5-6, 2010 - Kansas Water Authority Meeting - Paola Fire Department Training Room, 202 East Wea, Paola, KS - Meeting Materials

  • August 6, 2010 - BAC Chairpersons Meeting - 7:30 a.m., Paola Fire Department Training Room, 202 East Wea, Paola, KS

• June 30, 2010, Lower Arkansas BAC Meeting - 9:00 a.m., Water Center, Wichita, KS

  • Meeting Materials

  • Press Release

• May 13-14, 2010, Kansas Water Authority Meeting - iSi Environmental Services, 215 S. Laura, Wichita, KS - Meeting Materials

  • May 14, 2010 - BAC Chairpersons Meeting, 7:15 a.m., iSi Environmental Services, Grande Room, Wichita, KS - Meeting Notes

• March 3, 2010 - 9:00 a.m., City of Hutchinson Water Treatment Plant, Hutchinson, KS

  • Meeting Materials

Questions?