Chapter I
	Purpose and Need
	This chapter summarizes the setting in which the Federal action occurs, the purpose of and need for the action, and an overview of issues and concerns.

Introduction

The Federal action (Project) described and analyzed in this environmental assessment (EA) is to convert two irrigation districts' long-term water service contracts to repayment contracts. The Project in north-central Kansas would be accomplished in an environ-mentally sound manner and with an appropriate balance of water uses.

Setting

The irrigation districts in this EA are located in the Solomon River Basin (Basin) of north-central Kansas. They are Kirwin Irrigation District No. 1, whose contract was to expire December 31, 1999, and was extended to December 31, 2003, and Webster Irrigation District No. 4, whose contract was to expire December 31, 200l, and was extended to December 31, 2005 (figure I-1 and figure I-2).

The Solomon River and its tributaries, the North Fork and South Fork, constitute the major surface drainage system in the area, draining about 6,835 square miles. The Basin encompasses parts of 17 counties located in a productive agricultural region where population is relatively sparse and slowly declining with the mechanization of farm operations. The population of the study area was about 76,087 in 1999. The population of the four rural Kansas counties in which the irrigation districts are located is less than 1 percent of Kansas' population. The land area of the four counties is about 4.4 percent of the State's total land area.

The area includes the Solomon Division of the Bureau of Reclamation's (Reclamation) Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, which, in turn, includes the Kirwin Unit on the North Fork Solomon River, the Webster Unit on the South Fork Solomon River, and the Glen Elder Unit on the mainstem Solomon River. The contract for Glen Elder Irrigation District No. 8 will expire June 24, 2012, and it is not considered in this Federal action.

Three Reclamation reservoirs in the Basin provide water for irrigation, municipal, industrial, and domestic use; flood control; recreation; and fish and wildlife resources. Reservoir-related hunting, fishing, and water-based recreation play an increasingly important part in the local economy. The reservoirs are Kirwin Dam and Reservoir, which serves 11,465 acres of irrigable land and is also the site of Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge; Webster Dam and Reservoir, which serves 8,537 irrigable acres; and Glen Elder Dam/waconda Lake, which serves approximately 6,000 acres and which also provides water for a rural water district and the City of Beloit.

Purpose of and Need for Action

The purpose of this Federal action is to provide for the continued beneficial use of federally developed water supplies. This action is needed in light of the expiration of existing water service contracts. Reclamation is required by the Reclamation Act of 1956 to provide irrigation districts holding such contracts a first right to a stated share of the Projects' available water supply while meeting the needs expressed in applicable laws and policies. Attempts have been made during the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance and contract renewal processes to balance contractual obligations and the needs of irrigation districts with the needs of fish and wildlife, recreation, and other beneficial uses.

Overall, the purpose of and need for contract renewal in the Basin is to:

• Continue the supply of irrigation water to the Kirwin and Webster Irrigation Districts (Districts) with an attempt to balance water uses among other competing needs, including downstream water rights holders, fish and wildlife, recreation, and other beneficial uses
• Minimize the impacts of Project operations and continue the delivery of water consistent with Reclamation policies as a water resources management agency

Scoping and Issues

Informal scoping for this Project was initiated by contacting Federal and State resource agencies to identify existing information and to determine additional data needs. Reclamation announced initiation of the draft environmental assessment (DEA) in the public news media and described the DEA process in subsequent public meetings. The

Figure I-1 (11 x 17)
Kirwin Irrigation District No. 1

Figure I-2 (11 x 17)
Webster Irrigation District No. 4

public involvement plan was used to identify and involve diverse interests, identify concerns, elicit public input, and promote public participation. The major issues involved in interagency and public meetings were:

• Balanced/competing uses
• Conservation/farming practices
• Contract renewal - terms and conditions
• Economic benefits of and impacts to agriculture, municipal use, recreation, and wildlife
• Reservoir operations and management