The Kansas Infrastructure Hub announced Aug. 14 that the Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District No. 3 has secured $1 million to convert more than 59,000 feet of earthen canal to 13,200 linear feet of pipeline in Kearny County, Kansas.
“Leveraging federal dollars to supplement our state and local investments into critical infrastructure is vital to protecting and extending our state’s water supply,” Gov. Laura Kelly said. “These investments ensure our communities have the resources to build, operate and maintain critical infrastructure.”
The groundwater management district is receiving $500,000 in federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grants Program and $500,000 in matching funds from the Kansas Infrastructure Hub and Build Kansas Fund.
The canal, known as the South Side Ditch, diverts water from the Arkansas River just south of the City of Lakin. The project will improve water use efficiency, eliminate infiltration and evaporation losses and reduce the spread of uranium contamination into the underlying High Plains/Ogallala Aquifer.
The support provided through the Kansas Infrastructure Hub gives communities the financial means necessary to pursue and maximize BIL funding opportunities.
“Rural Kansas communities do not always have the money needed to meet the match requirements of large federal grants,” said Matthew Volz, P.E., executive director of the Kansas Infrastructure Hub. “Having the Build Kansas Fund available can make all the difference in whether or not they can apply for these lucrative federal funding opportunities.”
“Without this crucial state match from the Build Kansas Fund, there is no way we would have been able to secure the $500,000 in federal funding for this project,” said Trevor Ahring, civil engineer for the Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District No. 3.
In addition to these awards, in recent months, the Build Kansas Fund has been used to leverage federal grant awards in the cities of Ozawkie, Manhattan, Russell, Concordia, Dodge City, Topeka, Nortonville, Ellsworth and the Salina Airport Authority. The combined total investment by the Build Kansas Fund in all projects is more than $23 million, which has resulted in federal grant awards of more than $31 million.
Formed in 2022, the Kansas Infrastructure Hub connects multiple state agencies and serves as a resource center for Kansas communities to identify best practices for maximizing BIL funding opportunities.
The Build Kansas Fund provides state matching dollars for projects throughout Kansas that successfully apply for federal grants under BIL. In 2023, the legislature approved $200 million for the Build Kansas Fund to provide state matching dollars to Kansas entities and projects to meet federal local match requirements.
