The Kansas Water Congress will hold its 2018 Summer Conference Thursday and Friday at the Robbins Center on the campus of Fort Hays State University.
The mission of the Kansas Water Congress is to promote wise management and stewardship of the state’s water resources and to protect, conserve, and develop Kansas water resources for the benefit of the state’s present and future generations.
The KWC is a nonprofit entity funded primarily by annual membership fees. The organization was established in 2002, and seeks to provide a forum where water users strive to:
• reach consensus on water issues;
• advocate positions on water policy;
• promote and advocate interactions between water-related state agencies and water districts;
• provide education and information on water issues affecting Kansas; and
• promote a broad base of membership, to include both sustaining and individual members representing a diversified base of water interests and users.
“The Kansas Water Congress Summer Conference is held each year to shed factual light and discussions on water issues significant to local, state, and national interests,” said KWC President David Brenn. “Our agenda for this year is no exception.”
Topics to be covered at this week’s event include updates on state and federal legislation and policy, watershed district reports, water banking, water transfers, aqueducts, and water quality in Kansas.
Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty will speak on the R9 Ranch project in Edwards County, a large-scale water-transfer project with the goal of securing a long-term municipal water source for the city.
Jeff Crispin, Director of Water Resources for the City of Hays, will lead the group on a bus tour that includes a look at the ongoing construction of the city’s new Waste Water Treatment Plant.
Registration is $80, and the public is welcome to attend. The meeting will adjourn by noon Friday.
More information on the Kansas Water Congress Summer Conference can be found at www.kswatercongress.org. To register, email [email protected] or call 620-287-4541.
— Hays CVB