Volume 44 - Issue 49 - December 4, 2025

State of Kansas

Department of Health and Environment

Notice of Water Quality Certification

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has drafted a water quality certification per Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) requested by Mike Christianson, GFT (formerly TranSystems), for Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad. The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) CWA Section 404 Public Notice No. NWK-2025-00615 found at https://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Media/Public-Notices. The purpose of the project is to stabilize 1302 linear feet of the actively eroding riverbank to protect railroad infrastructure and reduce sedimentation into Mill Creek in Johnson County. Installation will include placement of rip-rap along the left descending bank, placed to maintain a 1.5:1 slope, and filter fabric laid and keyed in at the toe of the slope. The quantity of material proposed represents the minimal amount of fill necessary to protect the streambank. A small amount of cutting will be required along the right descending bank, but all trees greater than 4-inch diameter-at-breast-height (DBH) will be preserved where feasible. Site construction will occur in the winter/spring of 2026.

The draft certification and additional information containing the link to the USACE Public Notice will be posted on the KDHE website at https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/1095/Section-401-Water-Quality-Certification. Persons wishing to comment on the referenced draft document must submit their comments in writing by email to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment at KDHE.NPS@ks.gov by January 4, 2025, if they wish to have their comments considered in the formulation of final determinations for 401 regarding this public notice.

For more information, contact Scott Satterthwaite, Watershed Management Section, Bureau of Environmental Field Services, KDHE at Scott.Satterthwaite@ks.gov.

Janet Stanek
Secretary
Department of Health and Environment

Doc. No. 053692