Shannon Kenyon on the NWKS Water Day and Water in the State

Today on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, the Kansas Water Office hosted the Northwest Kansas Water Day at the Colby Events Center. The KWO, Kansas Rural Water Association and Groundwater Management District #4 were there covering topics spanning water rights, groundwater flows, the KSU Taps Program and more.

Our own Addison Stoddard caught up with Shannon Kenyon, the district manager with GMD4.

Kenyon said this was their second year doing the event after doing multiple last year, following up with an event in March of 2025.

"Last year was a huge success. In fact, they asked us for kind of an encore, we did it again in March," Kenyon said.

Regarding the goal of the event, Kenyon said "knowledge about water resources and what they can do individually or even collectively as a group to expand that knowledge and where we're headed in Northwest Kansas."

Kenyon also talked about the function and makeup of Kansas water in each side of the state.

"Water in Kansas is very diverse in the western side of the state. In Northwest Kansas, 98% of the water is used for agricultural purposes. We get our water here on the western side from the Ogallala Aquifer."

The water in Eastern Kansas serves a different purpose than the western side.

"You to go the eastern side of the state and the majority of that is used for municipal purposes," Kenyon said. "We get our water here on the western side from the Ogallala Aquifer, they get most of theirs from lakes and streams."

For western Kansas, the aquifer is a strong concern with Kenyon and her group.

"Our concern is with the aquifer, that is really in most places the sole source of our water," Kenyon said. "So to be knowledgeable and to know what is going on with the current declines that we have and how we can be cognizant and know how we can slow those declines and what we can do collectively to assure our way of life for generations to come here."

Kenyon also touched on the support from Kansas Water Office, as they work closely with them and support GMD4 in water education and policy.

The KRWA came to the event as well, primarily dealing with rural water municipalities and demonstrating for a high school, college-level crowd.

Kansas State was also present, assisting with their knowledge and research projects according to Kenyon.