City of Hays awarded $15M grant to secure long-term water supply

HAYS, Kan. (KWCH) - Like most of central and western Kansas, the cities of Hays and Russell are troubled by drought. In 1995, Hays bought the R9 Ranch in Edwards County, realizing that the city would one day need to supplement its existing water sources. The intention was to someday use the water as part of the public water supply for the cities of Hays and Russell.

A project for Hays to secure its long-term water supply comes with a $15.8 million grant, funding toward a pipeline project.

“This is important to us because Hays and Russell are the only two communities, metro areas, that do not have an adequate local supply of water,” Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty explained of the city’s ownership of the R9 Ranch. “We’re trying to secure additional water sources to ensure the survival of our communities.”

The proposed pipeline project would take water from the R9 Ranch, located five miles south of Kinsley in Edwards County, providing more than 6,700 acre-feet of water annually for Hays and Russell.

The City of Russell also voted on a three-quarter-cent sales tax to build a pipeline from Hays to Russell’s Pfeifer well field. The $15.8 million Build Kansas grant is a stepping stone to offset the cost of the $120 million project. Hays leaders are also working on an application for a $50 million federal grant through FEMA called “Building Resilient Infrastructure in Communities” or BRIC.

“The Build Kansas money we received represents the local share of what would be required should we receive the entire $50 million (from BRIC),” Dougherty said. “Any grant money we receive just buys down the total cost of the project and allows us to pay off the project quicker.”

The water supply-securing project for Hays and Russell isn’t advancing without opposition, including from Edwards County concerning the amount of water transferred. Dougherty voiced confidence in the project’s future.

“We’re confident we’re going to win the battle on the water transfer approval and it’s just a matter of cleaning up the legal loose ends and getting the project constructed,” he said. “So, I would love to have that done within the next 12 to 18 months.”