Advancing Water and Crop Management with OpenET

Moderator: Rachel O’Connor, Environmental Defense Fund

• Sam Zipper, Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas
• Dwane Roth, Front Porch Farms
• Sarah Sexton-Bowser, Kanas State University

 

Day Two

Breakout Session I

Emerging Issues

Moderator: Tony Stahl (KDHE)

• 3D Printed Passive Samplers for PFAS Detection in Natural Waters – Edward Peltier and Nathaniel Sheehan (KU)
• Supporting the Health of Kansans by Monitoring Wastewater for Diseases – John Anderson (KDHE)
• How to Optimize Water Infrastructure Planning and Design with Decarbonatization in Mind – Ghina Yamout (CDM Smith)

Moderator: Sarah Green

• Environmental Justice in Kansas: Addressing Water Disparities through Pollution Prevention and Education – Cris Brazil and Arthur Fink (K-State)
• Effective Public Engagement Strategies and Solutions for Uncertain Times in Water Management – Nicole Wall and Stacey Roach (Olsson)
• Inclusive Water Resources Planning: Missteps, Baby Steps, and Giant Steps towards “Water is for Everyone” – Jennifer Henggeler (USACE)

Water Quality Monitoring and Trends 

Moderator: Ben Growcock (KDHE)

• Assessing changes in stream nitrate concentrations and transport patterns from expanding corn-soy cultivation in the Great Plains – Breanna Rivera-Waterman and Amy Hanson (KU)
• Regulatory Monitoring and Enforcement at Animal Feeding Operations: The Effects on Surface Water Quality – Dietrich Earnhart (KU)
• Bromide Concentrations in the Kansas River at De Soto, Kansas, January 2021 through October 2023 - Thomas Williams (USGS)

HPA Groundwater Monitoring and Modeling 

Moderator: Keadron Pearson (KWO)

• Where is it coming from? A modeling assessment of the larger-than-expected inflow to the depleting High Plains Aquifer in Kansas – Gaisheng Liu (KGS)
• Lifting the Fog of Aquifer Heterogeneity: An Airborne Electromagnetic Survey of the High Plains Aquifer in Northwest Kansas – Jim Butler (KGS)
• Integration of Airborne Electromagnetic and Sediment Log Data for Characterization of the High Plains Aquifer in Portions of Groundwater Management District 4 – Geoffrey Bohling (KGS)

Ecosystem Restoration and Management on Water Resources 

Online Water Tools and Resources

Moderator: Kayla Savage (Kansas Commerce)

• Integrating and Aggregating Kansas Water Data – William Duncan (KU)
• Kansas Water Hub – Vijay Ramasamy (Governor’s Office)
• Accessing Technical Assistance through the Kansas Infrastructure Hub – Matt Volz (Kansas Infrastructure Hub)

 

Breakout Session II

Education and Outreach 

Moderator: Libby Albers (Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams)

• Empowered Educators: Enhancing Water Education and Community Leadership Across Kansas – Laura Downey and Rachel Walhe (KACEE)
• Finding the Next Generation of Water Workforce – Tonya Bronleewe and Analisa Munhall (Environmental Finance Center, Wichita State University)
• Conservation Program Assistance Directory – Katie Goff (Kansas Water Office)

Playa Lakes and Wetlands 

• How partnerships and planning play a part in proper playa performance – Miruh Hamend (Playa Lakes Joint Venture)
• Remote Sensing and Machine Learning for Wetland Identification – Devin Wilson (CDM Smith)
• Crop Yield Tendencies of Farmed Playas – Jude Kastens (KBS)

 Irrigation Technology and Policies

Moderator: Wes McCary (KWO)

• Has water conservation in the Sheridan-6 LEMA propagated outside of the area? – Donald Whittemore (KGS)
• Efficiency and water use:  Dynamic effects of irrigation technology adoption – Micah Cameron-Harp and Nathan Hendricks (K-State)
• Environmental Governance of the High Plains Aquifer: What irrigation policy looks like on, or below, the ground – Adam Zwickle (Michigan State University)

Water and Recreation

Moderator: Don George (KDWP)

• Aquatic Invasive Species - KS Distributions, Impacts, and KDWP AIS Management Projects – Chris Steffen (KDWP)
• Educational connections and community collaborations at Emporia State University’s Prophet Aquatic Research & Outreach Center– Daphne Mayes (Emporia State), Alexandra Hayes (Emporia State), and Phil Tauton
• The Kansas Ecological Review Tool: Introducing an online platform for statutorily required ecological reviews in accordance with the Kansas Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Act – Diedre Kramer (KDWP)

Surface Water Algal Blooms

• Potential CyanoHAB initiation and transport in northeast Kansas wetlands and slow-moving streams, 2021–23 – Ariele Kramer (USGS)
• Peeping Eyes in the Sky: Utilizing Satellite Remote Sensing for Early Detection of Harmful Algal Blooms in Kansas Waters – Jeeban Panthi (K-State)
• Blue-green algae in the Kansas River Basin: Is the future tinted blue-green?  - Ted Harris (KBS)

Municipal Water Supply

Moderator: Fred Jones (City of Garden City)

• Evaluating Direct Potable Reuse for Small Communities: Learning from the Village of Cloudcroft, NM – Greta Zornes (CDM Smith)
• Synthesizing drinking water distribution networks based on readily available data – Emma Russin (KU)
• South Well Field Project Delivers Sustainable Supply to McPherson and the Small Systems it Serves –Christopher Unruh (McPherson BPU) and Jeff Heidrick (Burns and McDonnell)

 

Breakout Session III

Flood Mapping and Mitigation

Moderator: Terry Medley (KDA)

• Setting the Stage for the Future of Flood Mapping in Kansas – David Weiss (KBS)
• We Know the Problems, But Not the Solutions!: Using FEMA Scoping Programs to Identify and Screen Alternatives – Dan Fricke and Chris Shultz (JEO Consulting)

Resilient Livestock Feed Systems

 Moderator: Russell Plaschka (KDA)

• Water-Smart Sorghum Forage Systems for Beef and Dairy – Sarah Sexton-Bowser (K-State)
• Resilience planning to sustain irrigated cattle and dairy feed and forage systems – Susan Metzger (K-State)

Reservoir Sedimentation

Moderator: Gary Kepley (USACE)

• Update on Reservoir Sustainability Work in Kansas – John Shelley (USACE)
• Economic Analysis of Sediment Management Alternatives – Rollin Hotchkiss (USACE)

Water History Lessons

 Moderator: Chris Beightel (KDA-DWR)

• Grand Diversions: Dreams of Big Water for the High Plains – Mark Jakubausas (KU)
• Growing the Garden City: Early History of Irrigation and Specialty Crop Production in Southwest Kansas – Jeremy Gill (Hays Public Library)

Holistic Farm Management

Moderator: Jennifer Simmelick (Kansas Soil Health Alliance)

• Adopting a Soil Health Mindset to Save the Ogallala Aquifer – Brice Custer (Kansas Soil Health Alliance) and Nick Vos (Stevens County farmer)
• On-farm solar arrays to enhance recharge, produce energy, and diversify farm income – Sam Zipper (KU) and Hanna Szydlowski (KGS)