08/30/2026
It is time once again to let the Sedgwick County Commissioners know how you feel, especially about out Little Arkansas River. As you read this, include this fact provided by Representative John Carmichael. "The ASR is not functioning as intended. Between low flows and atropine contamination, it recharges the Equs Beds about 90 days a year. Not nearly enough to justify it's cost"
LACC is once again asking residents to speak out, to learn the facts, ask reasonable questions, and insist that decisions involving our water, agriculture, energy infrastructure, and future development be made transparently.
The following meeting is important to attend and why the Little Arkansas Community Coalition created this roadmap of talking points.
On September 11, 2026, the interim development control resolution is set to expire.
The Sedgwick County Commission meeting will discuss extending the data center pause, Wednesday, September 2, 2026, 9:00 AM, Ruffin Auditorium (Douglas and Broadway)
One important fact concerns the Equus Beds Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) system cannot manufacture high-flow events in the Little Arkansas River. The system was developed to capture, treat, and store river water when river conditions allow. It depends on the river having sufficient flow. During drought, those opportunities can become more limited. High-flow events cannot be manufactured.
That matters because Wichita and the surrounding region have already invested heavily in protecting our long-term water supply. We should be very careful about adding a new, potentially water-intensive industrial demand to a system that was designed to improve our resilience, not to create an unlimited supply for future development.
Our top five important arguments to understand
1. Water availability must come first.
Sedgwick County is an agricultural county currently experiencing drought, and our region has endured serious drought conditions repeatedly over the past decade. Data centers can require significant amounts of water depending on their cooling technology. Before approving a major new industrial water user, the public should know exactly where the water will come from, how much could be required during peak conditions, and what happens during a drought.
2. Our agricultural water supply matters.
Sedgwick County has hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland and a significant agricultural economy. The same regional groundwater resources that support agriculture are also part of our municipal water-supply system. We should not assume that an additional large industrial user has no effect on existing users simply because the developer has obtained a water permit.
3. Data centers can create extraordinary electricity demand.
A large data center can require electricity on an industrial scale, potentially requiring new substations, transmission facilities, and other infrastructure. Residents should ask who pays for those improvements, whether existing customers could be affected, and whether the electrical system can accommodate the additional load without compromising reliability or affordability.
4. Investment does not automatically equal public benefit.
A data center may represent a very large private investment, but investment dollars are not the same thing as permanent jobs or public revenue. Residents should look at the complete economic picture, including tax incentives, infrastructure costs, water resources, land use, emergency services, and the number and quality of permanent jobs created. Ask commissioners, “what is the net benefit to our community?”
5. The rules should come before the development.
Once a large data center, electrical infrastructure, water infrastructure, and associated development are in place, changing course becomes much harder. Communities should establish clear standards for water use, drought conditions, electricity infrastructure, noise, backup generators, fire protection, land use, environmental impacts, and financial responsibility before approving major projects.
