14 February 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The federal government is giving the City of Wichita $6 million to help fight the ongoing drought.
“We’re excited to put that money into action,” Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple said. “This is federal funds coming back into our city, so, you know, it’s us getting a piece of our taxpayer money back.”
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation says the money is for construction activities to recharge the Equus Beds Aquifer. The aquifer is one of Wichita’s primary water sources. However, over the years, its level has decreased, causing concern about the future of Wichita’s water supply.
So, the City of Wichita developed the Equus Beds Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) project to artificially recharge the aquifer to help meet the city’s water needs during drought.
Recharging the aquifer means diverting water from the Little Arkansas River when the river is high, treating it, and injecting it into the aquifer.
“We are planning to build three new recharge basins for more efficient recharge capabilities, especially under high groundwater conditions,” Megan Lovely, City of Wichita communications manager, said. “This will bolster the city’s drought resiliency and benefit aquifer users by maintaining higher aquifer levels. This plan will work together with other resources and the new water treatment facility to protect the economy and our customer’s quality of life even if we experience droughts.”
She said the $6 million covers the Board of Reclamation’s share of a funding agreement with the City to invest in the ASR project.
The City of Wichita is currently in Stage 1 of its drought response plan, where citizens are asked to voluntarily conserve water. The mayor says the City wants to avoid Stage 2 — mandatory water conservation.
“One of the ways to do that is to take advantage of national opportunities like this, to get that $6 million to come back into our community so we can put it into these types of projects,” Whipple said. “So that hopefully, as water becomes a continued issue, it won’t affect us as much as it would if we didn’t have this type of resources.”
City Manager Robert Layton sent the City Council this message on social media Tuesday morning:
I wanted to share this good news. This allocation is directly tied to your work in D.C. over the past few years, Jim Davenport’s lobbying efforts and the follow-up work of the Utilities staff. Thanks for taking the time to work with Reclamation during your D.C. visits.”
Robert Layton, Wichita City Manager