Kansas county commissioners call for accountability, transparency in Quivira water dispute
County commissioners from across central Kansas hosted state and federal officials July 10 to address longstanding concerns regarding the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s water impairment claims at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.
The meeting was held under the legal coordination process required by the National Environmental Policy Act and marked the first time USFWS officials responded to a formal request by counties to participate in a public discussion. Commissioners used the opportunity to raise key questions and assert their role in decisions impacting local water use and private property rights.
Commissioners voiced serious concerns that the refuge is not being managed in accordance with its 2013 Comprehensive Conservation Plan. Deferred infrastructure maintenance, unmanaged vegetation growth, and failure to follow internal water management protocols have likely contributed to reduced water availability within the refuge. Commissioners urged USFWS to address these internal deficiencies before making impairment claims that would unfairly burden local farmers and landowners.
One of the most pressing issues raised was the location of the state’s measurement gage—positioned well inside the refuge boundary and downstream from key wetland areas. This calls into question whether water delivery shortfalls are due to actual upstream deficits or losses occurring within the refuge itself. Commissioners emphasized that local water users should not be penalized for federal mismanagement and that USFWS must be held to the same operational standards as those it regulates.
Despite repeated requests beginning in January 2025, the counties received no response from the regional office to initiate coordination. The July 10 meeting was a first step toward correcting that oversight. Commissioners made clear that the lack of engagement thus far has delayed meaningful accountability, and that future decisions must involve the voices of the communities most directly impacted. These findings raise fundamental questions about assumptions underpinning ongoing federal planning efforts, including the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed augmentation project.
“Coordination is not optional—it’s a legal requirement under NEPA,” Commissioner Bob Rein, Pawnee County and President of the Kansas Natural Resource Coalition said. “We’re here to ensure the federal government follows its own rules while protecting private property rights and the rural livelihoods that depend on them. That’s the balance Congress intended.”
The counties will continue to engage with USFWS in the coming weeks, and a follow-up list of requested records and reports will be submitted to the agency. Commissioners expressed gratitude to the agency for attending and committed to working toward solutions that support both conservation and local agriculture.
For more information about KNRC visit www.knrc.org.
