Julie Lorenz, former secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation, presented an implementation framework for the Kansas Water Plan to the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, urging a two‑year ramp up followed by a 10‑year program to help communities secure long‑term water supplies.

Lorenz said the state’s two largest economic drivers, agriculture and manufacturing, both depend heavily on water and that communities and businesses increasingly look for multi‑decade reliable supply when deciding where to locate. “Water has a huge impact on our state's economy,” she told the committee.

Lorenz described a three‑part, outcomes‑focused approach that mirrors transportation planning: (1) a multigenerational promise aiming for every Kansan to have access to 50 years of water or a plan to reach that supply; (2) regional planning and project development so communities can share resources and avoid premature local shortages; and (3) a pipeline of investable projects with measurable outcomes and a dashboard to report progress.

Why it matters: Lorenz emphasized that parts of western Kansas have already lost irrigation access and that groundwater declines track with falling yields. She quantified the economic exposure, saying the counties sitting on the western aquifers together generate about $57,000,000,000 in annual GDP. She also noted broader ripple effects: feed yards and the beef industry rely on water, employ roughly 19,000–20,000 Kansans and account for about 11% of the nation’s red meat production, figures she used to illustrate the economic stakes.

Program design and funding: The framework Lorenz presented calls for a two‑year ramp up to organize agencies and stakeholders, followed by a 10‑year program that would be periodically reviewed. She said study and local consultations—conducted twice statewide—gathered input from more than 1,500 Kansans and over 50 stakeholder meetings, and produced 43 defined outcomes and eight prioritized recommendations. The presentation cited a funding scenario that respondents supported at around $140,000,000 per year as one level that would produce key outcomes; Lorenz said the proposals are scalable and that the legislature would ultimately determine revenue sources.

Sample outcomes and pilots: Lorenz outlined examples of outcomes under different funding tiers. On water quality and private wells, she said a base program at $60,000,000 could fund private well testing, repairs and septic work in about 10 counties; higher funding over 10 years could expand that coverage to 50-plus counties. For reservoirs she pointed to pilot dredging and sediment‑management projects: a hydro‑suction pilot at John Redmond and a proposed dredging pilot for Tuttle Creek that, by Lorenz’s account, would affect “more than a million Kansans.” At full-scale reservoir management, she said more than 1,700,000 Kansans could be affected by improved storage outcomes.

Regional examples and operational issues: Lorenz used Caney and Coffeyville as an example of regional transfers, saying Coffeyville plans to sell Caney 250,000 gallons per day and noting that water transfers require infrastructure and leak repair. She stressed preventive watershed work—upstream ponds and watershed plans—to slow sedimentation and extend reservoir life. She also advised independent evaluation of programs and a transparent dashboard so legislators and the public can see results and make funding decisions similar to how KDOT evaluates transportation projects.

Questions and committee exchange: Committee members asked about dredging history and local watershed examples. Lorenz answered that dredging pilots have been done and reiterated the recommendation to fund watershed prevention planning during the two‑year ramp up. Several senators indicated interest in the framework and plans to continue work through the legislative process.

Next steps and context: Lorenz told the committee the framework builds on the Kansas Water Plan and prior task force work, and she compared the proposal to long‑range planning done in other states, notably Texas. She said the proposal is intended to be bipartisan and iterative: “start with the 10‑year program, measure outcomes in two years, and adjust.”

Ending: Lorenz concluded by highlighting student engagement at a recent water conference and by urging the committee to pursue dedicated revenue and an implementation structure that produces measurable results over time.