Water Supply Use

Kansas Water Use

Kansas Water Use information is critical for water supply planning, regulation, and scientific studies that further our understanding of water resources.

Data presented on this web page for Kansas include estimates of freshwater withdrawals for public supply, domestic, irrigation, livestock, aquaculture, industrial, mining, and thermoelectric water uses. These data are collected in cooperation with State and other Federal agencies, and are published in the report, Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2000 (Hutson and others, 2004). This report has been published every five years from 1950 to 2000. The next report in this series will present information for 2005.

OZARK AQUIFER STUDY

The High Plains Water-Level Monitoring Study (HPWLMS) is the USGS's response to a directive from Congress to report on water-level changes in the High Plains [Ogallala] aquifer

The Ozark Aquifer is an important water supply source for cities, rural water districts, agriculture, and industry in southeast Kansas, southwest Missouri, and northeast Oklahoma. Water supply wells in some areas of the aquifer have experienced water level declines in recent years. With a growing demand for water within the region, concerns about future water availability prompted by water-level declines and water-quality degradation, mostly in Kansas, have created a need to better understand this valuable resource in order to better address its long-term management.

To address water supply and quality issues in the Ozark Aquifer, the U.S. Geological Survey initiated a three- year study in August 2005 in cooperation with the efforts of the state water agencies in the Tri-State area (Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri). A model is being developed that will simulate ground-water flow within the Ozark and Springfield Plateau aquifers and include interaction between ground and surface water. The model will allow resource managers to simulate the effect of additional ground water withdrawals and provide valuable water availability information.

The study also will assess the current water-quality conditions in the Ozark aquifer and provide information on vertical variability of water quality within the aquifer near Pittsburg, Kansas, where brackish water intrusion is a concern.

Equus Beds Ground-Water Recharge Project

Schematic of the artificial recharge process

Description of Study

The water supply for the city of Wichita, south-central Kansas, currently comes from the Equus Beds aquifer and Cheney Reservoir. Because these sources are not expected to meet projected city water needs into the 21^st century (Warren and others, 1995), artificial recharge of the Equus Beds aquifer is being investigated as one alternative to meet future water-supply demands. An additional potential benefit of artificial recharge includes preventing degradation of the water quality of the aquifer by saltwater plumes from the Arkansas River to the southwest and the Burrton oil field to the northwest (Ziegler and others, 1999).

In 1995, the Equus Beds Ground-Water Recharge Demonstration Project began evaluation of artificial recharge techniques and their effects on water quality in the aquifer. The demonstration project was a cooperative effort among the city of Wichita, Bureau of Reclamation (U.S. Department of the Interior), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The USGS has been documenting changes in Equus Beds aquifer storage since 1940. Water quality and Little Arkansas Streamflow data have assisted in the Demonstration and Implementaion phases of the project.