Governor Laura Kelly appointed Dawn Buehler, Eudora, to serve as Chair of the Kansas Water Authority (KWA).
The KWA is responsible for advising the Governor, Legislature and Director of the Kansas Water Office on water policy issues. They also ensure that water policies and programs address the needs of all Kansans as well as serve as advisors of the Kansas Water Vision and Kansas Water Plan. The KWA was established in 1981 and consists of 13 voting members who are appointed by the Governor or Legislative leadership. State agency directors serve as ex-officio members.
“The Kansas Water Authority is comprised of such an important and knowledgeable group of individuals,” Governor Kelly said. “Dawn has shown an incredible commitment to the public and Kansas water resources over the years, and she is an ideal candidate to lead them.”
Dawn is the Kansas Riverkeeper and Executive Director of Friends of the Kaw. She recently served as Chair of the Kansas Regional Advisory Committee for the Governor’s Water Vision, a 13-person committee charged with writing goals and action plans for the Kansas Basin. Dawn is also a member of the Stakeholder Leadership Team for the Lower Kansas WRAPS (Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy) Program, is a member of the Topeka Riverfront Advisory Council, is Governor Kelly’s Appointee to the Oil and Gas Advisory Committee, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Kansas Land Trust and the Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams.
“My lifelong experiences have shaped and informed much of what I know today, which is that water is the most valuable resource we have and it must be a priority,” Dawn said. “As Chair of the Kansas Water Authority, I look forward to this opportunity to apply the expertise of our state agencies, the experience of our communities, and the leadership of our board members to work on problems and collaborative solutions around water resources.”
As the state’s water office, KWO conducts water planning, policy coordination and water marketing as well as facilitates public input throughout the state.
The agency prepares the KANSAS WATER PLAN, a plan for water resources development, management and conservation.
Katie Patterson-Ingels
Communications Director
Kansas Water Office
785-296-3185
900 SW Jackson Street, Ste. 404
Topeka, KS 66612
www.kwo.ks.gov
@kswateroffice
900 SW Jackson Street, Suite 404
Topeka, KS 66612 Phone: (785)-296-3185
Fax: (785)-296-0878
www.kwo.ks.gov
Connie Owen, Director Laura Kelly, Governor
