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Minutes for HB2691 - Committee on Water and Environment
Short Title
Modifying notification requirements for the division of water resources regarding multi-year flex accounts and water right applications.
Minutes Content for Tue, Feb 13, 2018
The Chair opened the hearing on HB2691.
Staff Nick Myers briefed the Committee on the salient points of the bill (Attachment 2). He explained that the bill changes the required date of application for a multi-year flex account to December 31. It would also change the notification those holding water rights with one-half mile to include all landowners within one-half mile.
Susan Metzger, Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA), testified as a proponent for the bill (Attachment 3). She noted that the previous date was during harvest, causing some farmers to miss the deadline for an application. She recommended two amendments to the bill: inserting a comma for clarification in section (b), and allowing either the Chief Engineer or the Groundwater Management District (GMD) to decide if a notification is necessary.
Written testimony in support of the bill was provided by the following:
- Tim Boese, GMD5 (Attachment 4);
- Greg Krissek, Kansas Corn Growers Association (Attachment 5); and
- Kent Askren, Kansas Farm Bureau (Attachment 6).
The Chair recessed the hearing to allow a conferee to provide more information.
The Chair reopened the hearing on HB2691.
Mark Rude, Executive Director, GMD3, commented that the KDA's recommended changes improve the bill, but that property rights still are not treated as such in the bill; the Chief Engineer should not be given that authority. The authority should be given to the GMD (Attachment 7).
The Chair closed the hearing on HB2691.
