2006 Kansas Code - 82a-1803

      82a-1803.   Same; water conservation projects fund. (a) There is hereby established in the state treasury the water conservation projects fund, to be administered by the director of the Kansas water office.

      (b)   Revenue from the following sources shall be credited to the water conservation projects fund:

      (1)   Amounts provided for by K.S.A. 82a-1801; and

      (2)   moneys received from any source by the state in the form of gifts, grants, reimbursements or appropriations for use for the purposes of the fund.

      (c)   Moneys credited to the water conservation projects fund may be expended only for the purpose of paying all or a portion of the costs of the following water management, conservation, administration and delivery projects, and similar types of projects, in those areas of the state lying in the upper Arkansas river basin and directly impacted by the provisions of the Arkansas river compact between this state and the state of Colorado:

      (1)   Efficiency improvements to canals or laterals owned by a ditch company or projects to improve the operational efficiency or management of such canals or laterals;

      (2)   water use efficiency devices, tailwater systems or irrigation system efficiency upgrades;

      (3)   water measurement flumes, meters, gauges, data collection platforms or related monitoring equipment;

      (4)   artificial recharge or purchase of water rights for stream recovery or aquifer restoration;

      (5)   maintenance of the Arkansas river channel; or

      (6)   monitoring and enforcement of Colorado's compliance with the Arkansas river compact.

      Moneys credited to the fund may be expended to reimburse costs of projects described by this subsection that were required by the division of water resources and commenced on or after July 1, 1994.

      (d)   Any person or entity may apply to the director of the Kansas water office for the expenditure of moneys in the water conservation projects fund for the purposes provided by this section. The director of the Kansas water office and the chief engineer of the division of water resources of the Kansas department of agriculture shall review and approve each proposed project for which moneys in the fund will be expended. In reviewing and approving proposed projects, the director and the chief engineer shall give priority to: (1) Projects that achieve the greatest water conservation efficiency for the general good; and (2) projects that have been required by the division of water resources. Upon such review and approval, the director of the Kansas water office shall request the legislature to appropriate, as a line item, moneys from the fund to pay all or a portion of the costs of the specific project, except that any project for which an aggregate of less than $10,000 will be expended from the fund shall not require a line-item appropriation.

      (e)   Interest attributable to moneys in the water conservation projects fund shall be credited to the state general fund as provided by K.S.A. 75-4210a and amendments thereto.

      (f)   All expenditures from the water conservation projects fund shall be made in accordance with appropriation acts upon warrants of the director of accounts and reports issued pursuant to vouchers approved by the director of the Kansas water office or a person designated by the director of the Kansas water office.

      History:   L. 1996, ch. 217, § 2; L. 2004, ch. 101, § 181; July 1.