By Scout Nelson
The Republican River Compact Administration (RRCA) will hold its 2025 annual meeting at 9:30 a.m. Central Time on Thursday, August 28, at the Cloud County Co-Op, 1401 East 6th Street, Concordia, Kansas. The agenda will focus on water-related issues and activities, including compact compliance, within the Republican River basin shared by Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska.
Preceding the annual meeting, the RRCA will convene a working session at 8:30 a.m. Central Time, also at the Cloud County Co-Op. Both the work session and the annual meeting are open to the public, providing stakeholders and community members an opportunity to listen and learn about current management topics in the basin.
Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska entered the Republican River Compact in 1943 to provide for the equitable division of the basin’s waters, remove causes of potential controversy, and promote interstate cooperation and joint action by the states and the United States in the efficient use of water and the control of destructive floods. The RRCA is composed of three commissioners representing the compact states: KDA–DWR Chief Engineer Earl Lewis for Kansas; Colorado State Engineer Jason Ullmann for Colorado; and Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment Chief Water Officer Matt Manning for Nebraska.
During the sessions, commissioners and staff are expected to review topics central to compact administration and basin management, including accounting for streamflow and depletions, reservoir operations, groundwater-surface water interactions, augmentation projects, drought preparedness, and data transparency. The public format allows interested parties to better understand how the states coordinate to meet compact obligations while supporting local communities, agriculture, and ecosystems.
Individuals with questions regarding the meeting may contact Chris Beightel, KDA water management services program manager, at Chris.Beightel@ks.gov or 785-564-6659 for more information. Additional information about the Republican River Compact and this year’s annual meeting is available at agriculture.ks.gov/RRCA
By offering an open work session and a formal annual meeting in Concordia, the RRCA continues its commitment to collaborative, transparent water governance across Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska, helping ensure reliable and equitable use of Republican River water for the region.
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Categories: Kansas, General, Government & Policy, Sustainable Agriculture