Flexible allocations
- One allocation - Five years to use it: Water right owners will be provided a 5-year allocation that may be flexibly used during the time period as long as the authorized quantity is not exceeded during any calendar year.
- Use your allocation between your wells as needed:
- Wells within a consolidated well unit (connected by pipe) or within a limited distance (2 miles) will be allowed to share the combined quantity of the individual LEMA allocated quantities as long as the annual authorized quantity of any individual well is not exceeded during any calendar year.
- Wells within a distance greater than 2 miles will be allowed to share the combined quantity of the individual LEMA allocated quantities as long as the annual average historical use of any individual well is not exceeded during any calendar year.
- Wells within a consolidated well unit (connected by pipe) or within a limited distance (2 miles) will be allowed to share the combined quantity of the individual LEMA allocated quantities as long as the annual authorized quantity of any individual well is not exceeded during any calendar year.
- Term permit to make the best use of your wells: A LEMA term permit will provide the option to exceed the annual authorized quantity in any calendar year in certain circumstances provided the water use within the 5-year time period does not exceed the LEMA allocation.
- Carry over to next LEMA/Don't "use it or lose it": In addition, a portion of unused allocation may be rolled over after the five-year period if the LEMA timeframe is extended.
Additional Incentives
In addition to the flexibilities and the opportunity to extend the usable lifetime of the aquifer, available cost share for irrigation technology and soil moisture probes will be targeted to areas within a LEMA or Water Conservation Area (WCA).
In addition, USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) offers limited irrigation crop insurance to provide loss coverage at a reduced Actual Production History (APH) that coincides with the reduced application of irrigation water.
In addition, USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) offers limited irrigation crop insurance to provide loss coverage at a reduced Actual Production History (APH) that coincides with the reduced application of irrigation water.
Conservation Benefits Your Area
A common question is whether conservation will actually benefit the area or will the savings flow to areas outside of the proposed LEMA boundaries. Groundwater moves very slowly. The Kansas Geological Survey reports that groundwater within the proposed LEMA boundary generally flows from west to east at a rate of about one foot or less per day. Conserving water within the boundary will benefit the water right owners with the LEMA.