Water Conservation Project Fund
About
The Water Conservation Project uses a portion of the damages received from Colorado for violation of the Kansas-Colorado Arkansas River Compact for the benefit of the area impacted by overuse of the Arkansas River water by Colorado.
History
The Kansas-Colorado Arkansas River Compact was negotiated in 1948 between the states of Kansas and Colorado to settle existing disputes and remove causes of future controversy concerning the waters of the Arkansas River, and to equitably divide and apportion the waters of the Arkansas River between Kansas and Colorado. Kansas filed Kansas v. Colorado in 1985 to enforce the terms of the Arkansas River Compact. As a result of court determined damages, Kansas received $35.7 million dollars from Colorado in 2005 and 2006. The Water Conservation Projects Fund received just under $9.7 million of this.
Initial administration included reimbursements to ditch companies for expenses incurred for litigation and four feasibility studies defined by the local steering committee.
In 2008, the remaining funds were transferred to Southwest Groundwater Management District 3 (GMD3) under a grant agreement that specifies use of the funds must be consistent with the state statute for the Water Conservation Project Fund.
The grant agreement states:
- Project applications are reviewed by the stakeholder committee of six ditch company representatives and agency advisors then forwarded to the GMD3 board.
- If locally approved projects meet eligibility criteria, the director of KWO, in consultation with the Chief Engineer (KS Dept. of Agriculture-Div. Water Resources), may approve projects.
- The statutory defined criteria include improvements for efficiency of canals, laterals or operation of the canals; water use efficiency devices; and measurement or monitoring equipment. A full description is available in K.S.A. 82a-1803
Find more information on the GMD3 website.
Project Manager
Groundwater Management District 3
Page Updated: 2/5/2026