BARTON COUNTY, Kan. - The long-running and contentious water impairment issue at the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge was the focus of a special coordination meeting attended by Barton County commissioners and officials from surrounding counties and state and federal agencies last Thursday in St. John.
Barton County Commission Chairperson Tricia Schlessiger, District 4, reported on the meeting Tuesday morning along with fellow commissioner Duane Reif, District 1, and County Counselor Patrick Hoffman. The gathering, organized by the Kansas Natural Resource Coalition (KNRC), took place at the Stafford County Annex Building and included commissioners from Pawnee and Stafford counties, as well as officials from the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge (QNWR).The meeting was contentious, but "I believe at the end we adjourned with an overall better understanding of each other and the situation at hand," Schlessiger said. She emphasized that the situation is "very important and warrants continued involvement."
Also in attendance were representatives from the offices of Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall, Groundwater Management District 5, and the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Kansas Division of Water Resources.
The Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior since the 1950s, has maintained that upstream water use has impaired flow into the wetland. An augmentation plan approved in 2020 aimed to address this. However, Schlessiger stated the KNRC believes this plan would negatively impact area farmers and communities, and that the refuge's failure to adhere to its Comprehensive Plan has contributed to the current water shortfall.
Schlessiger thanked the KNRC for organizing the meeting, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW) representatives, Kansas Department of Agriculture Division of Water Resources Chief Engineer Earl Lewis, and GMD #5 Manager Orin Ferill for their attendance. She described the 2 ½ hour meeting as "very tense from the start."
"The group of eight commissioners from Stafford, Pawnee, and Barton counties had individual questions that we each asked, mainly of the refuge manager," Schlessiger said. "There were also some questions directed towards Earl and Orin as well. Again, I appreciated their willingness to attend and answer questions."
Schlessiger said the relationship with the refuge regarding water rights has been "long and strained." Her questions focused on refuge management, specifically inquiring if some water loss was due to the overgrowth of vegetation. Refuge officials confirmed they were working on vegetation removal, having cleared 1,000 acres of woody trees and brush last year. They also confirmed that livestock grazing had been suspended for 2025 due to staffing issues, a point raised by constituents.
“One of the officials there “said the only way to move forward is for both groups to work together and eliminate rumors by having open meetings and being transparent,” Reif said. “I thought that was a very good statement, probably because, if anything, I've learned as commissioner, being transparent and eliminating rumors, is probably the most important thing you can do.”
Reif also noted the meeting started off tense, but eased into a state of open dialogue.
The proposed plan to address the water issue is moving forward with the retirement of 2,500 acre-feet of water rights for stream flow augmentation at Quivira. The refuge manager is expected to provide documentation requested during the meeting for review by the group.
“It's serious. I mean, they're talking about retiring 2,500 acre feet of water rights by either purchasing them or taking them and redirecting that water to Quivira,” Schlessiger said. The refuge has a 14,000-acre-foot water right. So “2,500 acre feet just a drop in the bucket. So, what if they come back in five more years and say, or two more years, we want 5,000 acre feet?”
Quivira’s water right is senior to those of many upstream landowners. This could put farmers out of business, impact communities and damage tax bases, she said. “It does have serious implications.”
The KNRC asked that the impairment order be set aside. Then it will be up to state officials, but there is no timeline for action.
Area county representatives are planning on holding another coordination meeting, but no date has been set.