The firm has a rich history of experience with water rights. Since its formation, Mr. Adrian has served as legal counsel for the Equus Beds Groundwater Management District. The District manages the groundwater for Sedgwick, Harvey, McPherson, and Reno counties. Approximately 2,000 non-domestic wells pump an average of 51.2 billion gallons from the Equus Beds aquifer every year. A significant portion of Wichita’s water is also withdrawn from the aquifer. Mr. Adrian’s position as legal counsel for the district has made him very experienced in handling a range of complex matters involving the regulation and preservation of groundwater.
The firm also handles a variety of other water rights matters. One frequently litigated issue involves the flow of surface water runoff. Disputes typically arise when one landowner sculpts his land in a manner that increases the volume and velocity of water flowing onto his neighbor’s property. The firm has also handled issues involving such diverse areas as inverse condemnation, division of water rights, abandonment, and environmental issues impacting water as a resource.
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Areas of Representation
- Riparian Law
- Prior Appropriation
- Representation Before the Division of Water Resources and Other Agencies
- Steambed Regulation
- Safe Yield
- Water Preservation Advice
- Diffused Surface Water/Runoff Litigation
- Ownership Issues Involving River Channels
- Condemnation of Water Rights
- The Clean Water Act
- Division of Water Rights
- Changes in Attributes of Water Rights
- Open Records Requests
- Opinions on Nature of Water Rights
- Location of Water Rights
- Impairment Matters
- Severing Water Rights from Land
- Abandonment
Water Law Publications & Presentations
- Publications
- Litigating the Myriad of Harms Caused by Diffused Surface Water (PDF) This article originally appeared in Volume XXXV, No. 5, May 2012 issue of the Journal of the Kansas Association for Justice. Copyright © 2012 Kansas Association for Justice. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.
- Bed, Bank & Beyond: Streambed Regulation in Kansas (PDF) Originally published in the March 2015, Vol. 84, No. 3 issue of The Journal of the Kansas Bar Association. Copyright © 2015 Kansas Bar Association.
- Presentations
- “An Overview of Water Law,” Halfmoon Seminars (Wichita, KS), December, 2010
- “Water Law and Kansas,” Kansas Bar Association (Manhattan, KS), January, 2011
- “A Sportsman’s Guide to Recreational Water Uses,” Kansas Bar Association (Flint Oaks, KS) September 2011