Session of 2000
HOUSE BILL No. 2898
By Committee on Environment
2-8
10 AN ACT
concerning the Kansas water authority; relating to establish-
11 ment of basin advisory
committees; prescribing qualifications of mem-
12 bers and manner of
operation.
13
14 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the
State of Kansas:
15 Section
1. (a) The Kansas water authority shall establish basin
advi-
16 sory committees in each of the major river
basins in the state: Upper
17 Republican, Solomon, Kansas-Lower
Republican, Missouri, Smoky Hill-
18 Saline, Neosho, Marais Des Cygnes, Upper
Arkansas, Cimarron, Lower
19 Arkansas, Walnut, Verdigris.
20 (b) Basin
advisory committees shall advise the Kansas water office
21 and the Kansas water authority pursuant to
K.S.A. 82a-903, and amend-
22 ments thereto, in:
23
(1) Identification of water-related problems, issues and
concerns
24 within the basin and goals and objectives
to be used to direct subsequent
25 planning efforts;
26 (2) formulation
of revisions to the state water plan;
27 (3) development
of public awareness of the importance of water re-
28 sources; and
29 (4) determination
of water plan implementation priorities and action
30 necessary to implement the plan.
31 Sec. 2. (a)
Each basin advisory committee shall consist of 11 mem-
32 bers, with at least one member representing
each of the following
33 categories:
34 (1) Domestic
users that use water for cooking, cleaning, sanitation
35 and other purposes normally associated with
operation of a household,
36 including use by industries, restaurants,
hotels, motels, churches, camps,
37 schools and similar entities using water
for household purposes.
38 (2) Municipal
users that operate public water supply systems, to be
39 represented by an elected or appointed
official of a city that operates a
40 public water supply system, as defined by
K.S.A. 65-162a, and amend-
41 ments thereto.
42 (3) Other users
that operate public water supply systems, to be rep-
43 resented by a person, other than a city
official, that operates a public
2
1 water supply system, as defined by
K.S.A. 65-162a, and amendments
2 thereto.
3
(4) Industrial users that use water in manufacturing,
production,
4 transport or storage of products or
in providing commercial services, in-
5 cluding use in connection with steam
electric power plants, secondary
6 and tertiary oil recovery, air
conditioning and aggregate extraction, in-
7 cluding hydraulic dredging.
8
(5) Irrigation users that use water for production of crops;
watering
9 of parks and golf courses; and
watering of gardens, orchards and lawns
10 exceeding two acres in area.
11 (6) Fish,
wildlife and recreation users that use water "in stream" for
12 entertainment, enjoyment and relaxation,
including use in management
13 and protection of aquatic and riparian
resources for habitat and other
14 environmental benefits.
15 (b) A basin
advisory committee may request approval from the Kan-
16 sas water authority to reduce the number of
members on the committee
17 to not less than seven members as long as
there remains representation
18 of the six user categories set out in
subsection (a).
19 Sec. 3. (a)
A person must reside in a basin to be eligible to be a
20 member of the basin advisory committee for
that basin.
21 (b) Employees of
state agencies represented by members ex officio
22 of the Kansas water authority are not
eligible for membership on basin
23 advisory committees but may be assigned to
serve as liaisons to basin
24 advisory committees. Individuals associated
with organizations repre-
25 sented by voting members of the Kansas
water authority are eligible for
26 membership on basin advisory
committees.
27 Sec. 4. (a)
When a vacancy occurs or will occur in the membership
28 of a basin advisory committee, the
committee shall nominate a person to
29 fill the vacancy, subject to appointment by
the Kansas water authority.
30 Members shall serve staggered four-year
terms expiring on June 30 of
31 odd-numbered years.
32 (b) The
chairperson of a basin advisory committee shall be nominated
33 by the committee from the existing
membership, subject to appointment
34 by the Kansas water authority. The
chairperson shall serve for a four-year
35 term which may be renewed upon
recommendation of the committee
36 and appointment by the Kansas water
authority. Each basin advisory com-
37 mittee shall select a vice-chairperson.
38 Sec. 5. (a)
Vacancy in the membership of a basin advisory committee
39 by reason of expiration of a member's term
shall be filled as follows:
40 (1) A renewal
process shall be initiated in April of odd-numbered
41 years whereby all individuals who have on
file applications for member-
42 ship and all basin advisory committee
members whose terms are expiring
43 will be contacted to determine if they wish
to serve or continue serving.
3
1 Notice will be given that
applications for basin advisory committee mem-
2 bership are being solicited.
Applications may be received at any time and
3 shall remain on file until the next
renewal process.
4 (2) At the
June meeting of a basin advisory committee, applications
5 on file shall be considered for
filling any existing vacancies and any va-
6 cancies occurring by reason of
expiration of members' terms. The com-
7 mittee shall make nominations for
membership from among the appli-
8 cations and shall forward such
nominations to the Kansas water authority
9 for appointment.
10 (3) In July of
odd-numbered years, the Kansas water authority shall
11 review all nominations for basin advisory
committee membership and
12 make appropriate appointments.
13 (b) Upon a
vacancy in the membership of a basin advisory committee
14 member for any reason other than expiration
of a member's term, the
15 basin advisory committee shall nominate,
from the applications on file, a
16 replacement to fill the unexpired term. All
basin advisory committee nom-
17 inations shall be subject to appointment by
the Kansas water authority.
18 (c) If a basin
advisory committee member does not attend three con-
19 secutive meetings of the committee, the
basin advisory committee may
20 consider a recommendation to the Kansas
water authority that the mem-
21 ber be replaced.
22 Sec.
6. Basin advisory committees shall operate in the
following
23 manner:
24 (a) All basin
advisory committee meetings shall be open to the public.
25 (b) Based on
consultation with the basin advisory committees, a mail-
26 ing list of media for notification of basin
advisory committee meetings
27 and for solicitation of applications for
membership shall be maintained
28 by the Kansas water office and utilized for
those purposes.
29 (c) A mailing
list of all persons who request notification of basin ad-
30 visory committee meetings will be
maintained at the Kansas water office
31 and utilized for that purpose.
32 (d) Members of
the Kansas water authority shall receive notices of
33 all basin advisory committee meetings and
minutes of those meetings.
34 (e) Four members
constitute a quorum for conducting business.
35 (f) A majority
vote is required to take action on any matter before
36 the committee.
37 Sec. 7. This act shall
take effect and be in force from and after its
38 publication in the statute book.