This project will capture water from the Little Arkansas River to recharge a depleted portion of the Equus Beds aquifer. The water stored in the aquifer can then be used as a component of the City’s water supply. It is estimated at approximately 65 billion gallons of water can be stored in the Equus Beds, and help restore water levels that were depleted by nearly 200,000 acre-feet to where they were in 1940 before irrigation pumping began.

"This is an critical achievement in planning for Wichita’s future and the growth demands that we will have," said David Warren, Director of Water & Sewer. "Developing Wichita’s future water supply is a key factor in all forms of development in Wichita and the surrounding communities," he said.

The first phase of the recharge project includes seven diversion wells located adjacent to the Little Arkansas River north of Halstead, and six recharge sites located east of Burton. These first recharge sites will be used to start building a hydraulic barrier to salt water contamination moving from the Burrton area. The first phase of the project will be able to capture and recharge up to 10 million gallons per day. Once completed, the City plans to be able to divert and recharge up to 100 million gallons per day of river water. All of the water that is recharged into the aquifer must meet drinking water standards, and will not degrade the water use in the project area.

This is the first aquifer storage and recovery project in Kansas, and the permits contain a number of conditions that are intended to assure that no other water users in the project area are negatively impacted by the project. These conditions include restrictions on when the diversion wells may pump water from the river; restrictions on how high water levels can rise in the recharge area; restrictions on how much of the recharged water can removed, and restrictions on when recovery wells can be operated.

The aquifer storage and recovery project is a major component of the City’s Water Supply Plan that will be used to provide adequate water supplies to the City through the year 2050. The first phase other recharge project is estimated to cost approximately $17.5 million dollars, and the full recharge project is estimated to cost approximately $137 million. During the development of the City’s Water Supply Plan the City considered 27 different water supply alternatives, and the Plan that the City is implementing will cost approximately $313 million through the year 2050. It is possible that construction on the first phase may begin in late 2005, or early 2006, and may be operational in late 2006.

This plan benefits not only Wichita, but all water users in the project area. As the recharge project will provide an additional water supply for the City, it will also protect the area from salt water contamination, reduce pumping costs for irrigators in the area, and improve low flows in the Little Arkansas River because the higher water levels in the aquifer will cause more water to migrate from the aquifer into the river.

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