NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council didn't really reach any final conclusions following a study session on the future of water in the city on Tuesday. Reno County is interested in developing a water district to serve areas south of Hutchinson.
"They wanted us to continue our efforts towards perfecting our current authorized water rights," said Hutchinson City Manager Kendal Francis. "You get 40 years to prove that you need that amount of water. In that time frame, whatever you don't use, you lose."
In an effort to help the City make an informed decision, Burns & McDonnell was hired to develop a 20-year water demand projection for the City of Hutchinson, and Kansas Water Resources Consulting (KWRC) was brought in to evaluate the City’s water rights and develop a strategy to perfect the City’s uncertified water rights.
According to Burns & McDonnell, the wholesale opportunity based on the current perfected water right is approximately 0.28 million gallons per day in 2043 and the wholesale opportunity based on the current authorized water right is approximately 1.46 million gallons per day in 2043.
Kansas Water Resources Consulting, led by former state chief engineer David Barfield, is recommending to the city that there are two potential opportunities to expand its overall quantity limitation with its existing wells. Those are requesting additional time to perfect and filing new applications on its existing wells.
Barfield also recommends the city request GMD 2 to provide its preliminary Safe Yield evaluations at each uncertified water right well location and develop a proposal for a series of new applications and limitations that would allow the city additional opportunity to increase its overall limitation consistent with their original approvals but within the principle of Safe Yield.
Barfield also suggests that the city meet with the current chief engineer at the state Department of Water Resources to review the approaches to provide more time to increase the City’s overall limitation. Francis doesn't know yet when that meeting will be. Earl Lewis has served as chief engineer since 2020.
"There's also, you know, I think a changing philosophy at the state level, people understanding how valuable water is and that there needs to be flexibility in some of these laws," Francis said. "Earl is the chief engineer. I've known him for many years. He was with the Division of Water Resources and the Kansas Water Office. We're hoping that we can make the case to something favorable for Hutchinson."
The needs for water south of Hutchinson look to only grow with the intended expansion of the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center that is in the HABIT area near Yoder and the potential for a large lots industrial park south of South Hutchinson along K-96, not to mention any growth that can be brought to the city of Hutchinson itself over the next several decades.
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