The Department of Natural Resources is planning to create a hydroelectric dam that would be located at the intersection of the Eisenhower and Patton counties. According to a paper printed by the Department: “This dam would not only secure our water but it would also produce power, which would be distributed among the industrial areas that surround the dam. This also protects and expands our wetlands, which protects wildlife in the area as well. As well as protecting wildlife, it protects people from natural disasters such as uncontrollable flooding.” While the dam does provide a good service to the state of Kansas, it does come at a big price. The estimated cost for the dam is 93,000 dollars, which creates an issue as to how the dam will be funded. Despite this, Zach Bile, the head of the department, offers a simple solution: “The government signs our budget tomorrow, and we’re gonna budget a certain amount of mone, and then if we don’t have enough money that we think we can last the rest of the week on we’re gonna try to go to the house and the senate to get it approved,” Bile said. Getting through the senate does not seem to be a big worry for the department, either. Bile believes that it will be easy for the bill to pass due to all its benefits. “There’s no downside for any county because it is providing free power and water to them so I can see it going through the house and senate pretty easily,” Bile said. While the dam seems to bring up problems due to its price, the Department of Natural Resources is confident that it will get proper funding due to its importance and benefit to the counties.]]>
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