The future of water availability in western Kansas is receiving support from a multimillion-dollar project aimed at using existing land formations to recharge a major underground water source. Final details of the Groundwater Recharge and Sustainability Project, or GRASP, are being worked out within the offices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Earlier this year the project received an injection of $1.4 million from NRCS, and another $1.5 million from multiple partnering conservation organizations, including the Playa Lakes Joint Venture and Ducks Unlimited. The plan calls for the restoration and enhancement of playas — natural wetlands that dot the state. There are more than 22,000 playa lakes in Kansas, with 85% of that playa acreage in cropland. The remaining 15% are part of natural grasslands, with the average size of a playa being 3.7 acres.
Source: Kansas Reflector
