HAYS, Kan. – On Thursday, October 22, 2026, the Governing Body of the City of Hays formally adopted Resolution No. 2026-022, establishing an official policy framework for managing municipal water obtained from the R9 Ranch in Edwards County. The resolution underscores Hays’ commitment to utilizing this vital resource in a judicious, efficient, sustainable, and economically beneficial manner while protecting long-term water security for generations to come.
For decades, the City of Hays has set a statewide benchmark for municipal water efficiency. Through sustained investments in public education, leak detection, and advanced conservation practices modeled after techniques used in the desert Southwest and Mountain West, Hays reduced its per-capita water usage to approximately 78 gallons per day—the lowest rate of any metropolitan area in Kansas.
Despite these achievements, Hays remains the only major population center in Kansas without an adequate local water supply capable of sustaining community needs during severe, prolonged droughts. Under normal hydrologic conditions, existing local wellfields cover the city’s annual demand of roughly 2,100 acre-feet. However, during decadal droughts, production from existing wellfields is projected to drop to 840 acre-feet annually, and could decline to just 480 acre-feet per year during multi-decadal droughts.
To address these severe vulnerabilities and secure the community’s future, the City acquired approximately 6,800 acres known as the R9 Ranch in Edwards County. The R9 Ranch water rights will provide up to 6,756 acre-feet of water annually, offering a reliable, renewable, and sustainable supply capable of meeting municipal needs for 50 years or more under anticipated growth.
As the City completes the necessary regulatory steps to utilize the R9 Ranch water rights, City leadership adopted Resolution No. 2026-022 to send a clear message: the arrival of R9 Ranch water will not serve as a reason to ease conservation efforts. Instead, conservation remains a cornerstone of municipal policy.
The full text of Resolution No. 2026-022 is provided below, courtesy of the City of Hays, Kansas:
“THE CITY OF HAYS, KANSAS
RESOLUTION NO. 2026-022
A RESOLUTION EXPRESSING THE INTENT OF THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF HAYS, KANSAS, TO USE WATER AVAILABLE THROUGH THE R9 RANCH WATER SUPPLY IN A JUDICIOUS, EFFICIENT, SUSTAINABLE, AND ECONOMICALLY BENEFICIAL MANNER.
WHEREAS, the City of Hays, Kansas (“the City”), is the only major population center in Kansas without an adequate local water supply to reliably meet the community’s needs during periods of drought; and
WHEREAS, the City has made substantial investments in water conservation, efficiency, education, planning, and related programs since the early 1990s, drawing upon water-conservation practices utilized in the desert Southwest and Mountain West; and
WHEREAS, through those longstanding efforts, the City’s per-capita water use has been reduced to approximately 78 gallons per capita daily, the lowest of any metro area in the state of Kansas; and
WHEREAS, the City’s existing water sources can meet the annual demand during normal hydrologic conditions only due to the extraordinary conservation efforts enacted, but are inadequate during periods of drought; and
WHEREAS, the City currently uses approximately 2,100 acre-feet of water per year; and
WHEREAS, during a decadal drought, the City’s existing wellfields are projected to produce no more than approximately 840 acre-feet of water per year, and during a multi-decadal drought, production from those wellfields is projected to decline to approximately 480 acre-feet of water per year; and
WHEREAS, in order to provide a reliable long-term water supply for the City’s residents, businesses, institutions, and public services, the City acquired approximately 6,800 acres commonly known as the R9 Ranch as a long-term water supply; and
WHEREAS, the R9 Ranch will provide up to 6,756 acre-feet of water annually and will be a reliable, renewable, and sustainable source capable of supporting the City’s needs for 50 years or more at current growth rates; and
WHEREAS, the City is completing the regulatory process necessary to utilize the R9 Ranch water rights and, as part of that process, has committed to maintaining its longstanding water-conservation efforts; and
WHEREAS, the Governing Body recognizes that the R9 Ranch water supply is a critical public asset that must be carefully managed to provide long-term water security, protect public health and safety, support reasonable community growth, and advance the economic well-being of the City without compromising the sustainability of the supply.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF HAYS, KANSAS, AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Continued Commitment to Water Conservation. The Governing Body hereby affirms the City’s continuing commitment to water conservation, water-use efficiency, public education, leak detection and reduction, efficient landscape and irrigation practices, and other prudent water-management measures. The availability of water from the R9 Ranch shall not be construed as a basis for abandoning the City’s longstanding conservation efforts.
Section 2. Judicious and Sustainable Use of R9 Ranch Water. The Governing Body declares its intent that water available through the R9 Ranch water supply be used judiciously and in a manner that protects the long-term sustainability of the resource. The City shall manage the R9 Ranch water supply in order to preserve the resource for future generations.
Section 3. Protection of Long-Term Water Security. The primary purpose of the R9 Ranch water supply is to enhance and secure a reliable municipal water supply for the City’s residents and anticipated community growth, particularly during periods of drought.
Section 4. Economically Beneficial Use. The Governing Body intends to use the R9 Ranch water supply in a manner that supports the economic vitality of the City and promotes the highest reasonable public and economic benefit per unit of water used. Economic development decisions involving water use should be evaluated with consideration of the first priority being to protect the long-term sustainability, reliability, and drought resilience of the City’s water supply, and then employment, wages, tax base, community benefit, water-use efficiency, and consumptive demand.
Section 5. High-Volume Water Uses. In order to protect the long-term viability of the R9 Ranch water supply, the Governing Body does not intend to actively recruit or pursue high-volume consumptive water users whose water demand could prematurely deplete the City’s water resources. This policy statement shall not prohibit the Governing Body from evaluating any future proposal on its individual facts, and the long-term public interest.
Section 6. Water Planning and Periodic Review. The City Manager and appropriate City staff are directed to incorporate the principles established in this Resolution into the City’s water-supply planning, drought-contingency planning, capital planning, utility operations, and economic-development review processes, as appropriate. The Governing Body shall periodically review the City’s water demands, available supplies, conservation performance, drought risks, and the sustainability of the R9 Ranch water supply, and may adopt additional policies or measures as circumstances warrant.
Section 7. No Creation of Rights. This Resolution expresses the policy intent of the Governing Body. It does not create a contractual right, entitlement, vested right, or guarantee of water service or water quantity for any person or entity, nor does it limit the City’s authority to administer its water utility, establish rates, adopt conservation measures, impose drought restrictions, or make future legislative and policy decisions consistent with applicable law.
Section 8. Effective Date. This Resolution shall take effect upon its adoption.
ADOPTED by the Governing Body of the City of Hays, Kansas, this 22nd day of October, 2026.”
