House committee adds money for Wichita area aquifer recharge

TOPEKA — The House Appropriations Committee this morning voted unanimously to add $600,000 more in state lottery money to help pay for the massive Equus Beds aquifer recharge project north of Wichita.

The move, prompted by Wichita Republican Rep. Jo Ann Pottorff, adds to the $500,000in state general funds recommended by Gov. Sam Brownback to bring the total to $1.1 million. That’s the same amount recommended by the Kansas Water Authority. The additional $600,000 comes from revenue generated by lottery and gaming activities in the state.

“I think they’re doing good work with that recharge,” said appropriations committee chairman Rep. Marc Rhoades, R-Newton.

Additional state money comes as Wichita continues to hike water rates in order to pay for the project, which is intended to provide an adequate water source for Wichita and surrounding communities until at least 2050.

The project pulls above average water flows from the Little Arkansas River, purifies that water and pumps it into the aquifer for later use. It also helps push back salty, contaminated water that has been slowly migrating from 1930s era oil field evaporation pits near Burton.

This story was originally published April 20, 2012 at 11:33 AM with the headline "House committee adds money for Wichita area aquifer recharge."