Wichita County LEMA Renewal

The current draft of the Wichita County LEMA Renewal Proposal can be viewed at the links below. Linked drafts are subject to change and have not yet been approved the by Chief Engineer. 

     * Please note allocation amounts listed in the Wichita County LEMA Renewal Drafts are not reflective of Combined Well Unit applications submitted after January 1, 2026. Once the LEMA Plan has been approved, allocations will be adjusted to reflect these Combined Well Units.  

Wichita County LEMA Renewal Update

Over the course of the last several years, Groundwater Management District No. 1 engaged with Wichita County stakeholders through numerous outreach meetings to shape the proposed LEMA renewal. The plan submitted to the Chief Engineer captures what was heard from those stakeholders and their ongoing efforts in reaching and maintaining Q-Stable.

On March 10, 2026, Groundwater Management District No. 1 received an Order of Decision Regarding the Wichita County Local Enhanced Management Area. Per K.S.A 82a-1041(d), the Chief Engineer has four options when reviewing the LEMA proposal: 

1. Can approve the LEMA plan as written;
2. Can approve the LEMA plan with recommended modifications that do not impose further reductions than outlined in the plan;
3. Can return the LEMA plan with recommended modifications. The District has 90 days to submit a modified plan to be brought before a public hearing;
4. Or can deny the plan.

Chief Engineer Earl Lewis returned the LEMA Plan with recommended modifications (K.S.A. 82a-1041 (d)(3)), requiring the plan to be resubmitted with modifications and brought before a public hearing. It is important to note that the Wichita County LEMA Renewal was not denied, however the Groundwater Management District No. 1 Board of Directors has noted the requested modifications and is currently working to submit a modified plan within the 90 day window. 

On March 26, 2026, Groundwater Management District No. 1 Board Representatives and staff met with Chief Engineer, Earl Lewis, and staff to discuss the Order of Decision Regarding the Wichita County Local Enhanced Management Area which can be viewed here:

On March 27, 2026, the Groundwater Management District No. 1 Board held a Special Board Meeting to discuss the next steps to be taken in response to the proposed modifications. An additional meeting with the Chief Engineer is set for April 6, 2026. 

Over the course of the remaining 90 day window, a weekly summary of progress taken will be provided via email to all Wichita County Stakeholders. If you are currently not receiving this update and would like to be added, please submit the required information here: 

If you would like to submit comment on the initial Order of Decision Letter Regarding the Wichita County Local Enhanced Management Area, please contact the Division of Water Resources at 785-296-3556.

If you would also like to contact Groundwater Management District No. 1 please feel free to reach us at 620-872-5563. Further information, including the timeline of events can be found in the accordian drop down below titled "Timeline Recap of the Wichita County LEMA Renewal".

Timeline Recap of the Wichita County LEMA Renewal 

October 2nd, 2025

GMD1 Submitted the WC LEMA for renewal. The previously submitted Wichita County LEMA Renewal Document can be viewed here: 

Previously Submitted Wichita County LEMA Renewal Plan

January 13th, 2026

Division of Water Resources held the LEMA Hearing in Leoti, KS

 "Department of Agriculture Division of Water Resources

Notice of Hearing

Pursuant to K.S.A. 82a-1041(b) and K.A.R. 5-19-3, notice is hereby provided that the Chief Engineer of the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Water Resources (Chief Engineer) will hold an in-person hearing at 9:00 a.m. (Central Time) January 13, 2026, at the Wichita County Fairgrounds, 506 E. M St., Leoti, Kansas, to consider the proposed Wichita County Local Enhanced Management Area (LEMA) Plan submitted to the Chief Engineer by Western Kansas Groundwater Management District Number 1.

The hearing will be consolidated as provided for in K.A.R. 5-19-3 and will consider whether one or more of the circumstances specified in subsection (a) through (d) of K.S.A. 82a-1036 exist within the proposed boundaries of the proposed LEMA, whether the public interest of K.S.A. 82a-1020 requires that one or more corrective control provisions be adopted, and whether the geographic boundaries of the proposed LEMA are reasonable, and will also consider the LEMA’s proposed corrective controls, the likelihood that the LEMA plan will achieve the stated goals, and any other matters the Chief Engineer deems necessary.

Anyone may submit written or oral statements to be included in the record of the hearing. Oral statements will be accepted only at the public hearing. Written statements may be submitted at the hearing, in advance of the hearing, or following the hearing. The deadline for the submission of written statements following the hearing will be January 27, 2026. Written statements may be provided by mail to the Kansas Department of Agriculture, c/o Ronda Hutton, 1320 Research Park Dr., Manhattan, KS 66502, faxed to 785-564-6777, or emailed to ronda.hutton@ks.gov.

Earl D. Lewis, P.E.
Chief Engineer
Division of Water Resources
Department of Agriculture"

March 10th, 2026

Order was received, DWR sent back the LEMA to the GMD1 with required changes in order to be approved by the chief engineer.

Preliminary areas of concern;

• Carryover
• Overlapping of the WCA and the LEMA
• Non-use allocations receiving a zero allocation for the renewal period as a way of cleaning up the data
• Open appeals process.

March 26th, 2026 

GMD1 Staff and Board Members met with Chief Engineer Earl Lewis, and staff to discuss referenced concerns from DWR. See Wichita County LEMA Renewal Updates below for further information on the documents received and discussed in the March 26, 2026 meeting. 

April 6th, 2026 

GMD1 Staff and Board Members met with Chief Engineer, and staff to propose an alternative option possibly limiting carryover for use in years of extreme drought emergency.

April 17th, 2026

GMD1 Staff and Board Members met with Chief Engineer, and staff to discuss a counter proposal from DWR.  The following proposal reflects those discussions, and current revisions to the renewal LEMA.

May 14, 2026 

Public Meeting Wichita County LEMA Renewal Update

GMD1 conducted an outreach meeting to discuss the most recent draft of the Wichita County LEMA Renewal Proposal. Discussion included the Wichita County LEMA Order of Decision received from the Chief Engineer, the GMD1 Board of Directors response to the Chief Engineer, and current draft of the Wichita County LEMA Renewal Proposal.

The Wichita County LEMA covers designated areas within Wichita County, whose portions fall inside the boundaries of Groundwater Management District No. 1. These areas are highlighted in the yellow area shown in the image above. 

The Wichita County LEMA is effective 2021-2025. Renewal of the Wichita County LEMA is currently in progress and has the proposed effective years of 2026-2030.

Wichita County LEMA Remaining Allocation Search

This value reflects remaining allocation for 2024 and 2025. Please subtract your 2024 water use from this total to view your actual 2025 remaining allocation.