Joco Today

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall has responded to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's recent announcement that it will not issue a call for water for the Quivira Wildlife Refuge in 2025. The decision comes after significant efforts by Kansas farmers and ranchers to implement water reduction strategies and conservation practices.

"Once again, Kansas farmers and ranchers have come together to resolve issues, putting water reduction strategies and conservation practices in place to reduce water while maintaining their family-owned farms and ranches," Senator Marshall stated. "Our agriculture community continues to work together to find solutions to systemic issues impacting our state. I am optimistic that they will continue to find ways to meet Fish and Wildlife Services demands and avoid mandatory and dramatic cuts to water use in the Rattlesnake Creek basin."

Previously, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had announced a call for water due to a lack of water in Quivira Wildlife Refuge, citing an impairment of its senior water right. This call prompted the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Water Resources, to begin curtailing junior water right holders in the Rattlesnake Creek basin.

Through collective actions and regular meetings among stakeholders and landowners, promised reductions in water usage for 2025 satisfied the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, leading the agency to inform landowners that it would not be making a call for water next year.