82a-220. Grant of streambank easements by director of Kansas water office; definitions; authority; notice; filing with the register of deeds; rules and regulations. (a) As used in this act:

(1) "Conservation project" means any project or activity that the director of the Kansas water office determines will assist in restoring, protecting, rehabilitating, improving, sustaining or maintaining the banks of the Arkansas, Kansas or Missouri rivers from the effects of erosion;

(2) "director" means the director of the Kansas water office; and

(3) "state property" means real property currently owned in full or in part by the state in the Arkansas, Kansas or Missouri rivers in Kansas, in and along the bed of the river to the ordinary high water mark on the banks of such rivers.

(b) (1) The director may negotiate and grant easements on state property for construction and maintenance of conservation projects with cooperating landowners in such projects for the expected life of the project and with such terms and conditions as the director, after consultation with the Kansas department of agriculture, the Kansas department of health and environment, the Kansas department of wildlife and parks and the Kansas department of agriculture division of conservation, may deem appropriate.

(2) Notice of the easement shall be given to the county or counties in which the easement is proposed and to any municipality or other governmental entity that, in the opinion of the director, holds a riparian interest in the river and may have an interest in the project or results thereof. Those persons or entities receiving notice shall have a period, not to exceed 30 days, to provide comment on the proposed easement to the director.

(3) In the event such an easement is proposed to be granted on state property owned or managed by any other agency of the state, the director shall give notice of the proposed easement and project to that agency and jointly negotiate any such easement.

(4) A copy of all easements so entered shall be filed by the director with the office of the register of deeds for the county or counties in which the easement is located.

(c) The director shall adopt rules and regulations necessary to carry out this act.

History: L. 2011, ch. 29, § 1; L. 2012, ch. 140, § 133; L. 2023, ch. 7, § 145; L. 2025, ch. 29, § 11; July 1.