Quality of Water Flowing into the
Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Kansas
The Quivira National Wildlife Refuge is an
enhanced wetlands area located in the Rattlesnake Creek Basin in south-central Kansas and is
managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Established
as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1959, the area provides food, water, cover, and protection
for many species of birds, wildlife, and fish. Several types of waterfowl take advantage of
the refuge in their annual migration, including the endangered Whooping Crane. Since, 1959,
the refuge has been enhanced and includes more than 30 marshes and ponds covering about
22,000 acres in Stafford, Reno, and Rice Counties.
The importance of maintaining water supply to preserve valuable waterfowl habitat was
recognized early on. A channel was constructed to permit Rattlesnake Creek to flow directly
into the Little Salt Marsh, one of two large saline marshes in the refuge. Additional canals
and ponds have since been constructed, providing the entire area with a dependable water
supply. However, supply is still a problem in dry years, especially during late summer, when
the water demands outweigh the water supply, specifically the flow of Rattlesnake Creek into
Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. In a cooperative study with the Kansas Geological Survey,
the U.S. Geological Survey developed a computer-based water budget model to assist U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service in determining the outcome of possible water-management options. The
results of this study were published in
"Simulation of Canal and Control-Pond
Operation at the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, South-Central Kansas".
Because of the considerable wildlife benefits offered by the refuge, there is a strong desire
to provide a good water-quality supply to the refuge. Streamflow, river stage, and water
quality flowing into the National Wildlife Refuge, are being monitored by the U.S. Geological
Survey at Rattlesnake Creek near Zenith, Kansas. Temperature, specific conductance, pH,
dissolved oxygen, and turbidity are being monitored with a continuously recording
water-quality monitor. In addition, both routine quarterly and event-related water-quality
samples were collected and analyzed for selected constituents including major ions, total and
dissolved metals, nutrients, selected pesticides, and bacteria. The monitoring has identified
temporal trends in selected water-quality constituents and is being used to estimate the
chemical mass loading into Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.
Publications and Presentations
-
Characterization of Surface-Water
Quality Based on Real-Time Monitoring and Regression Analysis, Quivira National
Wildlife Refuge, South-Central Kansas, December 1998 Through June 2001,
Christensen, V.G., 2002, U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report
01-4248, 28 p.
-
Monitoring Water-Quantity
and Quality to Help Manage Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Christensen, V.G.,
Jian, Xiaodong, ziegler, A.C., 2001, Department of Interior Conference on the
Environment, Albuquerque, New Mexico, March 13-15, 2001 (4.9 MB)
-
Real-Time Water-Quality Monitoring
for Protection of Wildlife at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, South-Central Kansas,
1999, Christensen, V.G., 1999, U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS-182-99, 2 p.
Current Streamflow and Water-Quality Data and estimated concentrations
Historical Streamflow and Water-Quality Data
For additional information, please write or call:
Andy Ziegler
U.S. Geological Survey
4821 Quail Crest Place
Lawrence, KS 66049-3839
Telephone: (785) 832-3539
Fax: (785) 832-3500
Email: aziegler@usgs.gov