Various funding options are available to help producers in Wichita and Greeley Counties meet water conservation objectives and address declining aquifer levels through the Groundwater Recharge and Sustainability Project (GRASP). Funding is available to support aquifer recharge through restoring playas, reducing water use, and retiring irrigation water rights through the Water Transition Assistance Program (WTAP). The information on this web page is also available as a printable PDF.

What is GRASP?

The Groundwater Recharge and Sustainability Project (GRASP) is a locally led USDA partnership program that leverages conservation dollars to support local water conservation efforts. It is designed to assist producers in Wichita and Greeley counties address declining aquifer levels through implementing voluntary irrigation conservation and efficiency practices and by restoring playas to increase groundwater recharge. GRASP is also supported by the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Water Transition Assistance Program. This voluntary, incentive-based program is designed to manage aquifers in critical need of restoration by compensating landowners for the permanent retirement of irrigation water rights.

How does GRASP help producers?

The conservation practices offered through GRASP are designed to help producers meet their water conservation objectives such as increasing aquifer recharge through playa restoration, reducing water use, and retiring irrigation water rights.

Playa Restoration

Funding for restoration and annual rental payments are available to support aquifer recharge through playa restoration. When restored, healthy playas can help recharge the Ogallala Aquifer — and the water that reaches the aquifer through playas is cleaner than water that enters through other channels.

A healthy playa has an intact clay basin — without excavated pits or ditches — that is not buried by sediment from nearby fields. Water from the surrounding watershed freely enters the basin through a native vegetative buffer without being diverted from the playa by roads, terraces or other impediments. Playa restoration is reversing past modifications to playas by removing accumulated sediment, filling drainage features, redirecting water back into the playa, and protecting the playa with a buffer composed of native vegetation.

Short term annual rental payments will be available for the wetland and buffer area devoted to playa restoration activities. Land rental payments for playas will be based on local irrigated rental rates.

Irrigation Management

Advanced irrigation management is a productive way to save water and energy, optimize crop yield and quality and minimize negative impacts to limited resources. t. Best practices include evapotranspiration and crop growth modeling, automated soil moisture sensing, and spectral crop monitoring.

In recent years, technology has improved to allow for soil water monitoring and automated computer-aided irrigation scheduling to determine timing and quantity of applications, as well as improving soil health to maximize infiltration of precipitation and irrigation water, improve soil water storage capacity, optimize water extraction from the soil by roots; and drought-tolerant varieties, crops, and cropping systems (Steiner, et al).

Cost-share funding is available to reduce water use through:

    • Managing irrigation water
    • Implementing alternative crop rotations
    • Developing a reduced tillage system
    • Establishing a cover crop to improve soil health
    • Converting irrigation to dryland systems
    • Scheduling irrigation
    • Installing soil moisture sensors
    • Improvements in irrigation water use technology

Retiring Irrigation Water Rights

The Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Water Transition Assistance Program (WTAP) is also available in Greeley and Wichita counties. The voluntary, incentive-based program is designed to manage aquifers and streams in critical need of restoration by compensating landowners for the permanent retirement of irrigation water rights. One-time payments are available for retiring water rights through the Water Transition Assistance Program (WTAP).

How does the program work?

The program is open to producers in Wichita and Greeley Counties who would like to explore their water conservation options. The focus on playa conservation and restoration efforts will be near municipal and domestic water wells, supporting recharge where it is needed most, but the program does not require you to have a playa on your land to participate. Eligible producers with water conservation objectives can apply.

Applications are accepted on a continuous basis at your local USDA Service Center in Leoti or Tribune. There will be periodic application ranking and funding decisions throughout the year. To learn more about or apply for the Water Transition Assistance Program (WTAP), which is a related but separate program, contact Steve Frost at 785-564-6622.

How do I get started?

Your first step is to make an application for GRASP at the USDA Service Center in Leoti or Tribune. The application does not commit you to anything, but starts a conversation around how the program could help meet your needs. Planning assistance for your project will be provided by the GRASP partnership, including field staff from Playa Lakes Joint Venture, Ducks Unlimited, and Natural Resources Conservation Service. These partners can help determine which conservation practices will help meet your water and operational goals.

    • Greeley County Conservation District, 620-376-4332
    • Wichita County Conservation District, 620-375-2332
    • Katie Durham, Groundwater Management District 1, 620-872-5563
    • Steve Frost, Kansas Department of Agriculture (WTAP), 785-564-6622
    • Abe Lollar, Ducks Unlimited, 620-214-2693
    • Matt Smith, Playa Lakes Joint Venture, 785-269-1415

 

Funded through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), the Groundwater Recharge and Sustainability Project (GRASP) is supported by a diverse group of partners — including Greeley and Wichita County Conservation Districts, Kansas Association of Conservation Districts, Kansas Department of Agriculture, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Kansas Groundwater Management District #1, Kansas Water Office, Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, Playa Lakes Joint Venture, and Wildlife Conservation Society. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.