🎥 Mayor and city manager meet with new governor’s staff about R9 water use change

The R9 Ranch is being turned back to native grass as agricultural irrigation water wells are shut down and equipment removed.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Hays mayor James Meier is feeling more positive about the new governor’s awareness of the city’s long-term water project with the R9 Ranch in Edwards County.

Meier and City Manager Toby Dougherty were in Topeka last week to update Hays state representative Eber Phelps (D-111th Dist.) about the project progress. Andrew Wiens, chief policy officer on Gov. Jeff Colyer’s staff, also met with Meier and Dougherty.

“We had a good meeting that lasted more than an hour,” Meier reported Thursday night during the city commission meeting. “I felt like he asked really good questions.”

Meier thinks the governor, a Hays native, and his staff now better understand the city’s position and that “we’re ready to get things moving.”

“The overarching message I conveyed to the governor’s representative was essentially there’s no disagreement between the city and DWR (Division of Water Resources) over major or minor problems there may be with the R9. We’ve come essentially to an agreement on all points when it comes to the change application. That’s why we don’t really see why there’s the delay in getting the change order issued.”

Meier noted no promises were made in the meeting. “They still need to talk to DWR and the Agriculture Department to find if they have any concerns.”

Still, Meier is hopeful the bureaucratic process will begin moving more quickly. “I think we’re seeing some good progress.”

The city employs a lobbying group, Capital Strategies of Topeka, specifically for water exploration issues. The yearly contract is $36,000 paid with the half-cent water sales tax. According to Meier, “once the R9 passes all regulatory hurdles, we’ll terminate the contract.”

The application to change water use from agriculture irrigation to municipal was filed with the Division of Water Resources nearly three years ago.

The cities of Hays and Russell are co-owners of the R9 Ranch, purchased in 1994 as a long-term solution to water needs for the towns. Hays owns 82 percent of the ranch; Russell owns 18 percent.

The state’s Water Transfer Act has never been triggered. Hays is the first entity to make such a request. The city began the regulatory process in February, 2014.