Watershed Program in Kansas

Herb Graves, Executive Director
State Association of Watershed Districts (SAKW)

What better way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of P.L. 566, the legislation authorizing funding for watershed projects across the nation, than to bring people together for a first-hand look at the benefits watershed district projects can provide.

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program, often referred to as the P.L. 566 program, is carried out under the authority of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954; Public Law 83-566. Under an earlier pilot national watershed program in 1953-54, five pilot watershed projects were established in Kansas. Public Law 83-566 then expanded this to an ongoing nationwide program.

That’s exactly what happened on August 4, 2004, when 225 people gathered at the East Harvey County Lake recreation area near Newton, itself a P.L. 566 funded project of the Whitewater River Watershed District, to mark the 50th anniversary of the legislation signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on August 4, 1954. Those present included members of approximately 20 of the state’s 85 watershed districts, state legislators and officials, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) personnel, representatives of federal legislators, and federal officials, including Mack Gray, USDA Undersecretary for Conservation, who spoke at the barbeque supper.

For Gray, who began his career working on watershed projects with the Soil Conservation Service in Texas, the turnout was encouraging.

“It’s a tremendous boost to me to see this kind of support for this program,” he said.

The celebration began with an afternoon bus tour of nearby projects including East Harvey County Lake, a multi-purpose reservoir completed in 1976; Sand Creek Watershed Joint District No. 68 Site 1, the cornerstone of the Sand Creek watershed plan; Sand Creek Site 107, completed in March 2000; Whitewater Site 15, completed in 1981 and recently undergoing maintenance; and Whitewater Site 17, currently under construction with an estimated completion date of early 2005. During the tour, board members and construction officers associated with each project provided background information, explained construction details, and described mitigation and conservation work done.

Educational booths representing organizations, including NRCS, the National Watershed Coalition and State Association of Kansas Watersheds (SAKW), and an exhibit of cultural artifacts excavated at one of the Whitewater sites prior to construction, were available for viewing before and after the tour.

Despite the celebratory tone of the event, challenges face the P.L. 566 program as the federal budget deficit and changing demographics of Congress put pressure on which federal programs get the available dollars. According to Gray, the P.L. 566 program, with its current fiscal budget allocation of $80 million, is just getting by. If it is to continue as a viable program, he said, rural areas of the country—including Kansas—have to increase advocacy for the program and sell the country’s urban residents on the benefits watershed districts can provide to all the nation’s citizens through flood control, improved water quality, recreational opportunities, wildlife habitat and conservation.

“I think it’s time to do some thinking outside the box in terms of being inventive about what needs to be done and can be done,” Gray said in a challenge to those present. “The key is partnerships with state and local governments, outside organizations, and building support with people who live in town.”

Dan Lowrance, chairman of the National Watershed Coalition, echoed those sentiments and further challenged those involved with watershed projects to tell the watershed story, not only to legislators and state and federal officials, but also to their neighbors.

State support for the program includes that of Governor Kathleen Sebelius, who issued a proclamation marking the day which called for all Kansans to join in anniversary-year celebrations of P.L. 566. In the proclamation, she noted that 770 Kansas dams have been constructed under the program bringing an estimated $34 million in annual benefits to the state. Projects are located in 38 Kansas counties and protect nearly 25 percent of Kansas’ land area.

State officials attending the event, including Adrian Polansky, secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture; Greg Foley, newly appointed executive director for the State Conservation Commission; and Mike Hayden, secretary of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, all expressed their support of watershed projects, whether funded by state or federal dollars or both. However, all acknowledged the difficulties of adequately funding new projects with the state’s current budget problems. Polansky noted that the afternoon tour clearly showed the benefits of the program, but added, “with the funding issues at the state and federal level, money is harder to come by.”

In evaluating the day, SAKW Executive Director Herb Graves Jr. said there had been two primary objectives in planning the invitation-only event, celebrating the 50th anniversary of P.L. 566 and raising awareness, particularly among government and agency people, that watershed districts were still alive and still needing help for the future. He believed the event was successful in accomplishing those goals, however, that doesn’t mean there isn’t more work to do, much of which needs to be done on the local level.

“We have a long ways to go, especially with state programs, if we are going to be successful,” Graves said. “We need a lot more follow-up from SAKW and local districts to make that happen. We need each district board to get involved. I challenge each district in the coming year to get your state representative and senator to attend at least one of your meetings as part of the educational process. That’s where it’s all going to happen on the political end. It’s part of the process.”

Education also needs to be done in the community to get younger people involved in the work of watershed district boards, Graves said, that many board members are aging and there will be much maintenance and ongoing rehabilitation work needed on existing projects in the future.

Watershed districts are local entities of state government offering or coordinating the installation of structures and land treat measures to address resource issues within their watershed district. These resource issues could include flooding, water supply, erosion control, wildlife habitat, and recreation. Districts play a key role in delivering the federal watershed program as well as state-and locally-funded watershed programs. Locally elected board members oversee their watershed district’s responsibilities.

The State Association of Kansas Watersheds coordinates the efforts of watershed districts on a statewide basis, providing leadership, legislative support, and representation for Kansas Watershed Districts at national and state meetings.

To learn more about watershed activities in Kansas, contact Graves at (785) 922-6664 or email sakwwatersheds@sbcglobal.net. The SAKW web site is www.sakw.org.

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Watershed Program in Kansas (DOC; 39 KB)

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Last Modified: 09/04/2008