Kansas farmers’ cutbacks helped water shortage at Quivira wildlife refuge

A flock of green-winged teal settle on the marsh at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. ( Rachel Laubhan/USFWS )

Federal officials will continue working with farmers rather than demanding their share of water in Rattlesnake Creek for the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Gov. Laura Kelly announced Wednesday.

In a letter dated Monday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said voluntary measures by farmers designed to ensure the Quivira gets enough water had shown progress. The federal agency said it won’t ask that the state cut off irrigation in the Rattlesnake Creek basin.

In a joint news release with U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, Kelly called the efforts “encouraging.”

“By partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we will continue working toward a sustainable, long-term solution that ensures the refuge receives the water it needs while avoiding economic damages to local communities in the region,” Kelly said.

Moran said the “work done today will help ensure farming and ranching operations continue for generations to come.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Stafford County. The rare island marshes at Quivira are a key stopping point for migratory birds. But in recent years, irrigation along Rattlesnake Creek, which flows through the refuge, has all but dried out the creek, endangering habitat for the birds.

The refuge received less than its legal share of water in two out of every three years between 2008 and 2021, a report by the state found.

Quivira holds a state water right — established in 1957 — entitling it to more than 14,000 acre-feet of water each year. And because Quivira’s water right predates many farms in the region, it can request that the state enforce cutbacks on junior water users if they are impairing the refuge’s right.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requested the state enforce its water right early last year but backed down when Kelly and Moran encouraged the agency to work with nearby farmers.

Kelly, in a letter to the federal agency last year, said forcing strict cutbacks on farmers “could devastate the entire region.”

If voluntary measures didn’t work, wildlife officials said last year, they would request again that the state enforce Quivira’s water right. In its letter, the federal agency said voluntary efforts had alleviated the water shortage by about 3,300 acre-feet per year, above its target of 2,800 acre-feet.

But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it intended for its request for enforcement from last year to remain a standing request until farmers’ impairment of Quivira’s water right is fully resolved.