TOPEKA, Kan. -- TOPEKA, Kan. – The State Association of Kansas Watersheds held their 68th Annual Meeting in Topeka Tuesday which brought together the many water district representatives and some of their largest partners in federal, state and local government.
Col. Doug Guttormsen, the Kansas City District commander, served as the keynote speaker. He gave an account of the day of the life of his district command experience. He focused on his family life in his off time and on his work making sure we deliver world class projects to the partners we have and emphasized the ones in Kansas.
“Earlier in this fiscal year, we finished a project at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kan., which stands ready to receive the first KC-46 air tankers later this month. Not only did the project come in on time and on budget, other Corps district are coordinating construction at Air Force facilities around the country and the world using elements of the award-winning design and lessons learned from the construction project,” said Guttormsen.
He explained a state-wide sedimentation study which will enhance ongoing projects to determine how to remove silt from our reservoirs. Current projects must decide where to place the dirt and allow for the water supply, flood risk reduction, recreation and other federally mandated functions of the lakes to continue. The life of the reservoirs will be extended by returning some of the original capacity.
The SAKW conference attendees asked several questions about the federal and Corps of Engineers role in regulatory activity and good information was shared.
Earl Lewis, assistant director for the Kansas Water Office, spoke on multiple topics including stream bank erosion mitigation as a key element in reducing sedimentation and extending the usefulness and life of the reservoirs in Kansas.
Rob Reshke, executive director, of the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Conservation, spoke on several topics to include the planned release of an updated Watershed District Handbook by July 2019.
The conference continued through Tuesday and Wednesday.
“We couldn’t hope for better partners than we find here with the State Association of Kansas Watersheds,” said Guttormsen.
The Kansas City District is a team of dedicated professionals with a strong heritage and proven results who, in collaboration with our partners, proudly serve in the Heartland providing leadership, technical excellence, and innovative solutions to the nation's most complex problems.