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Federal reservoirs are
an important source of water supply in Kansas, providing water in some
manner to roughly two-thirds of Kansas’ citizens. The State of
Kansas owns storage in thirteen federal reservoirs operated by the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers. The ability of the reservoir to store
water over time is diminished as the capacity is reduced through
sedimentation. In some cases reservoirs are filling with sediment
faster than anticipated. Whether sediment is filling the
reservoir on or ahead of schedule, it is beneficial to take efforts to
extend the life of the reservoir.
Early in the 2009 Legislative Session,
several Kansas natural resource agencies had the opportunity to present
the Reservoir Sustainability Initiative to the newly created Vision 2020
committee. The committee, chaired by Representative Tom Sloan, was
formed to evaluate issues with the potential to span multiple
Legislative years. Presentations were made to the Vision 2020 committee
to highlight the existing condition of our reservoirs, actions currently
underway to address sedimentation, and the need a for long-term
commitment to our public water supply infrastructure. As requested by
the committee, the Kansas Water Authority will prepare a comprehensive
report to be presented to the Legislature in 2010. This report, referred
to as the
Reservoir Roadmap, will
provide a better quantification of the sedimentation problem, statutory
and financial changes necessary to address the problem and more detailed
information on at least one basin that can lead to projects and
operational changes.
Efforts are underway to
better understand the sources, transport and deposition of sediment
through monitoring, research and assessment activities and consideration
of enhanced management strategies. Activities are also underway to
better operate the reservoirs to meet anticipated water supply needs.
These efforts are part of a Reservoir Sustainability Initiative that was
recently approved by the Kansas Water Authority. Two policy issues,
Enhanced Stream Corridor and Wetland
Management to Address Reservoir Sedimentation and
Surface Water Management: Access to Storage,
are being proposed for discussion to enhance ongoing efforts to
manage reservoirs, their watersheds and the supply available from those
reservoirs. Both of these are in the preliminary draft stage as shown
on the
flowchart.
The
Reservoir Sustainability Initiative
Graphic identifies the components
of the Reservoir Sustainability Initiative within the context of a
hypothetical watershed. The components proposed for enhanced policy
development are highlighted in red.
Reservoir Sustainability Initiative Brochure
ASTRA - Applied Science and
Technology for Reservoir Assessment Monthly Newsletter, July 2008
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