More than 20 years ago, in the midst of drought and a long-standing need for long-term water supply, the City of Hays, later joined by the City of Russell, purchased a 7,000-acre Edwards County ranch originally known as the Circle K, now called the R9 Ranch, giving the city the potential for more than 7,000 acre-feet of water.
The city manager at the time, Hannes Zacharias, was one of several city officials involved in the purchase and planning to bring water from the Arkansas River Basin to Hays, a process that involves unprecedented regulatory moves that are just now getting underway. The Dodge City native saw the sudden change as a chance to follow a dream. In 1976, at the age of 21, Zacharias made a solo kayak trip on the Arkansas River from his hometown to New Orleans. Today, Zacharias is following the entire length of the river from its Rocky Mountain headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico — traveling by foot, ATV and even horseback where necessary where there is no river flow in western Kansas.
On Sunday, Zacharias reached Edwards County and spent some time on the R9 Ranch. I talked with him Monday by phone about his impressions of the ranch and the journey of Hays and Russell to obtain a long-term source of water.
(Read more: News – The Hays Daily News)