The 30th annual meeting of the district will be February 16, 2005 at the Best Western Buffalo Inn, 830 W Hwy 24, Goodland, KS. The meeting will begin at 1:00 p.m. MST and the agenda will include at least:

The annual meeting is one of the best opportunities for district members and others to see how the district works and to help direct what it will be doing in the future. We hope to continue our "improved" annual meeting packet that now includes more information than past editions - including a 10-year listing of water level data for every monitoring well in the district; water use data by county, by system, by year; and several other new informational items. The meeting is open to the public.

If you're a district member and live in any of the above mentions counties, consider becoming a board member. For more information visit the website at: www.gmd4.org/an-mtg.html.

The Kansas Water Office (KWO), the Division of Water Resources (DWR) and the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) have released the 2002 Kansas Irrigation Water Use Tables which show some interesting data and trends.

The 3,024 wells in GMD 4 included in the data (not all wells, but a significant majority of them) reported pumping 514,708 acrefeet of water upon 384,282 acres of land in 2002. This was 1.34 acrefeet per acre (AF/ac).

For the years 1998 through 2002 the numbers were:

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

This data seems to be an indication of how dry it was between 2000-2002. The average usage from 2000-2002 has been 32% higher than average usage between 1998-1999 - again highlighting the relationship between rainfall and water pumpage.

The tables also use reported water use to establish regional standards for various areas of the state - including the GMDs. They then look for water use in these areas exceeding the regional standard (average) for that area. GMD 4 irrigators had the lowest reported water use exceeding our own regional standard in the state - only 1.06 percent. The statewide average for all regions was 3.54%. This was another respectable job done by all our NW Kansas irrigators.

If you'd like to see this report, stop by the office.

The board continues to work with the division of water resources on a formal memorandum of understanding (MOU) for this program. Thus far, the MOU is proposing to sequence the meter orders by quarter section, the first meters required by December 31, 2006 or before pumping the well, whichever is earlier. The order is proposed as beginning with the NW/4, then going clockwise over the next 3 years to the NE/4, then the SE/4 and finally the SW/4. As currently proposed, the division of water resources will issue the orders. Field monitoring will be a random process annually such that statistically there will be a 95% probability that there will be 90% compliance. With a total population of about 3500 wells, this random number may be around 140 wells. The MOU is expected to be completed before April, 2005.

The NW Kansas Groundwater Conservation Foundation received its IRS 501(c)(3) status in July, 2004. They are still hoping for grant funding from any or all of the 12 grant requests that still have not been decided. In all, the 15 requests (yes, we found another one) have asked for just over 7.8 million dollars, but 3 of them so far have been respectfully turned down due to what is described as a "restricted giving climate" at this time.

The Foundation's web site is online at: www.groundwaterfoundation.com. The web page contains all the information needed to understand the program and participate - except for the final map of the eligible areas which the GMD board is still working on.

The Foundation continues to plan for transitioning irrigated acres back to non-irrigation uses. There are currently 4 options for accomplishing the goal:

* Permanent buy-out of full water rights

* Permanent reduction of partial water rights

* Temporary set aside of full water rights

* 10% reduction of past historical pumpage

For more information, don't hesitate to contact the Foundation or visit the web page. This effort remains one of the most important tools we have for achieving the state water plan goals of reducing the Ogallala Aquifer decline rate with the least impact on the regional economy.

The district's 2005 revised budget hearing has been scheduled for January 20, 2005 in the district offices at 1175 S. Range, Colby, beginning at 11:30 a.m. This hearing is to re-budget all 2004 carryover cash funds into the already approved 2005 budget. It will not affect the 2005 assessment rates at all.

On December 21, 2004 the series of ITAP (Irrigation Transition Assistance Program) regulations will be heard at two public hearings - in Great Bend and Topeka. These are the regulations under which the State Conservation Commission (SCC) will run its irrigated land transition program for the state.

The process shakes out as follows. Applications will be submitted by willing participants annually between October 1 and November 15, and will include: 1) Applicant information; 2) water right file number and priority date; 3) well location; 4) annual water usage; 5) water right authorized quantity; 6) bid price on a per-acre basis; 7) a land transition plan if going to permanent cover (this plan can include up to 3 years of continued water usage to establish the cover); and 8) If not metered, a recent well test by a state recognized person.

From here the application is reviewed by the chief engineer who shall certify: 1) the water right as being eligible; 2) the consumptive use associated with the right; and 3) the potential impact the dismissed right will have on the aquifer or stream.

The SCC will then prioritize the eligible applications based upon: 1) the extent and timing of its impact on the aquifer/stream; 2) its impact on local water management strategies for the area; 3) the extent of local financial contribution (while none is required); and 4) priority date of the water right. Additionally, no more than 10% of a county's irrigated acres are eligible, and all ITAP issues (participation, payments, etc.) between land owners and lessees are deemed outside the program concerns.

Applications surviving this process will be offered contracts including: 1) price to be paid and terms of payment; 2) a provision that the water right be dismissed before payment; 3) if applicable, the terms of extended water use approved by the chief engineer for converting to permanent cover; 4) statement that any GMD assessments due or remaining will be the owners responsibility; 5) statement that the land being transitioned will not be irrigated by any other water right; and 6) the payment installments - either one lump sum or annual payments not exceeding 10.

The actual payment price (contract item 1) from the previous paragraph) shall be based on: 1) the applicant's bid price; 2) an economic model to determine fair market value; 3) the right's priority date; 4) the level of local contribution; and 5) the impact of the right on the aquifer/stream.

For SCC approved contracts, the water right must be dismissed and the well plugged or converted (retrofitted) to domestic use within 1 month of the first payment. The chief engineer shall also be requested to not appropriate any additional water in the area except for domestic, temporary and term permits for 5 years or less.

Finally, others can file a petition for reconsideration with the SCC within 30 days of any SCC decision stating why the decision should be modified or reversed.

Proposed regulation 11-11-2 (Eligible areas) has received some public comment thus far as it does not currently include any area of the state where small use exempted water rights are authorized - except for domestic, term and some temporary permits allowed by the chief engineer. In order to be eligible, the western Kansas GMD's will need to eliminate some or all of the small use water right exemptions they currently have established in state regulations. Also, while always meant to be a western Kansas (High Plains Aquifer) assistance program, this regulation allows the Kansas Water Authority to place any areas (statewide) into the state water plan making them eligible as well.

If interested, you should attend one of the public hearings and voice your opinion. The hearing locations are: (Both on December 21, 2004)

Great Bend: 6:00 PM, Highland Motel, 3200 10th St

Check: http://www.accesskansas.org/kscc for a copy of the actual regulations and more information.

Editorial by Wayne Bossert, GMD 4 Manager:

The morning session focused on water issues, policies and research relevant to understanding water-based economies--both the natural systems and social systems--in Kansas, the United States and the European Union. The three speakers were: Tracy Streeter, Acting Director of the Kansas Water Offer; Dr. Steven Kraemer, U.S. EPA, Research Hydrologist - Ecosystems Research Division, and Dr. Wim De Lange, RIZA Institute for Inland Water Management and Waste Water Treatment - a leading international center of knowledge for integrated water management in the Netherlands.

In summation, all speakers noted a need to involve all stakeholders in the understanding of the problem, understanding the hydrological and economic systems in place, and in the design, development and implementation of all policy approaches/solutions. They also agreed that hydrologic models, although quite sophisticated in themselves, need to be linked to economic and perhaps even social models to accurately assess proposed policy implications and ultimately find the best solutions. This co-development and linking of inter-disciplinary models seems to be the direction of this group. As good as this seems, I still found no specific answers, but I am satisfied that more people are recognizing how important economic support is in dealing with hydrologic problems - especially in areas where the economy is clearly water-based. NW Kansas could be the poster child for a water based economy - at least in Kansas.