The Kansas Current Effective Floodplain Viewer is a good place to do a quick check of an address to determine whether it is within the floodplain. 

You can also find a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) viewer and map panels on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center or contact your local floodplain administrator. 

You must be a farmer and/or rancher in the identified WRAPS watershed(s). You can find the map here.

Ensure that your water well complies with current standards for construction and located away from contamination sources. It is best to use a licensed water well contractor.

Kansas has many excellent opportunities for water recreation activities. If you are visiting a public waterbody during the water recreation season, look for advisory signage posted or check the KDHE HAB Website (Harmful Algal Blooms | KDHE, KS) for a list of current advisories and follow the recommendations listed for each advisory status. HABs can be unpredictable and dynamic, people should remain vigilant for HABs while engaging in activities that take place in or on the water such as, swimming, boating, and fishing. Sometimes it may be difficult to tell the difference between blue-green algae and other types of algae. HABs can take on a variety of appearances, though they may often appear as a surface scum, like “spilled paint,” or generally opaque water, colored bright green, dark green, blue, or red. If you notice a potential HAB or are unsure if there is a bloom of blue-green algae, it is recommended to exercise caution when engaging in recreational activities and report the bloom to KDHE.  When in doubt, stay out!

Exposure to HABs may occur through contact, ingestion, or inhalation. Children and pets may be more susceptible due to their lower body weight and how they interact with the water (e.g. more likely to ingest water). Pets may also lick HAB affected water from their fur or eat dried algae along shorelines. People and pets are recommended to wash with clean water after any contact with suspected HABs. In case of potential exposure to harmful algae, call a doctor or veterinarian if people or animals have nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, irritated eyes, seizures, breathing problems or other unexplained illness. Then report any suspected HAB related human or animal health incident to KDHE Bureau of Epidemiology (Report an Illness or Health Incident | KDHE, KS).

Private Well Resource Map | KDHE, KS

There are many types and forms of algae that are part of freshwater ecosystems. For Kansas waterbodies it is often categorized that Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are composed of cyanobacteria, more commonly known as blue-green algae, while all other types of freshwater algae are separate. Cyanobacteria are a natural component and normally present at lower densities in the freshwater systems of Kansas to include lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers. When specific conditions exist, for example ample sunlight, warmer water temperatures, minimal wind/wave mixing and high nutrient levels, cyanobacteria densities can increase rapidly to form a bloom. There are a lot of factors (ecological, physical, chemical, etc.) that contribute to bloom development and proliferation which makes HABs unpredictable.

While both cyanobacteria and other types of algae can bloom under certain circumstances, cyanobacteria may produce toxins and are associated with health risks for humans and animals. Other types of freshwater algae may become a nuisance or cause aquatic issues if they are over-abundant, but they are not known to produce compounds that are harmful to humans, pets, or livestock. Harmful Algal Blooms | KDHE, KS

KDHE’s HAB Response Program has been formally tracking HABs since 2010 and has active weekly operations during the water recreation season, April 1 to October 31. The program functions on a complaint basis and applies only to public waterbodies across the state. Bloom complaints for public waterbodies are investigated through evidence gathering and sample analyses, where the program will then report on potentially harmful conditions, usually in the form of an advisory.  The HAB Response Program works in close collaboration with intra-agency programs, waterbody managers, stakeholders, and local, state, and federal partners.

Private ponds and those other types of waterbodies outside the purview of KDHE’s HAB Response Program can find helpful resources and assistance through KDHE’s HAB Website (Harmful Algal Blooms | KDHE, KS), programs out of Kansas State University (Harmful Algal Blooms | SBEAP), and others.

Following types of permits: 

• NPDES Permit- Discharging Domestic or Industrial Wastewater
• State-No-Discharging Lagoon Permit
• Construction Stormwater General Permit
• Industrial Stormwater General Permit
• Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Permit
• Ready-mix Permit
• Hydrostatic Permits
• Pesticide Permits

Learn more.

Start by asking your county sanitarian, they may have test kits and refer you to a lab which can analyze your private well water sample.

EPA Clean Water Act Section 319 federal grant funds and the State Water Plan Fund.

Licensed water well contractors must pass the KDHE exam, obtain continuing education units annually, and are the most up to date on all legal requirements for water wells. In most cases, a licensed water well contractor is required to work on a water well. Find a licensee here.

You may need a water right for impounding or pumping water - Water Appropriation Water Law Basics

A water structures permit may be required if the proposal is to build or modify a structure, alter a channel, place fill in the floodplain, or build or alter a levee - Water Structures Permit Walkthrough