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Research about Kansas

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Kansas.

At least 397 records · Page 22Linked to original sources
USGS1952

Ground-water data collected in the Missouri River basin units in Kansas during 1951

Ground-water studies in the Missouri River Basin were begun by the United States Geological Survey during the fall of 1945 as a part of the program for development of the resources of the basin by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and other Federal Agencies. The studies of the ground-water resources in the part of Kansas that lies within the Basin have been coordinated with the cooperative program of ground-water studies already being made in Kansas by the U.S. Geological Survey, the State Geological Survey of Kansas, the Division of Sanitation of the Kansas State Board of Health, and the Division of Water Resources of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture. Areas in which ground-water data have been collected for the Missouri Basin program include the Almena Unit in Norton and Phillips Counties; the Bostwick Unit in Jewell, Republic, and Cloud Counties; the Cedar Bluff Unit in Ellis, Rush, and Trego Counties; the Glen Elder Unit in Mitchell County; Kanopolis unit in Ellsworth, McPherson, and Saline Counties; Kirwin unit in Phillips, Smith, and Osborne Counties; the Ladder Creek project in Greeley, Gove, Lane, Logan, Scott, Wallace, and Wichita Counties; the St. Francis unit in Cheyenne County; the Webster Unit in Osborne County; and the Wilson Unit in Lincoln County. Data relating to the Ladder Creek project will be published later in a separate report. This report is the fifth of a series of annual reports on ground-water in the above-named units in Kansas and contains the data collected mostly during 1951. An index to the data that were collected and presented in the 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, and 1951 reports is given in table 1.

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USGS1951

Ground-water data collected in the Missouri River basin units in Kansas during 1950

Ground-water studies in the Missouri River basin were begun by the United States Geological Survey during the fall of 1945 as a part of a program for the development of the resources of the basin by the United States Bureau of Reclamation and other Federal Agencies. The studies of the ground-water resources in the part of Kansas that lies within the basin have been coordinated with the cooperative program of ground-water studies already being carried on in Kansas by the United States Geological Survey, the State Geological Survey of Kansas,the Division of Sanitation of the Kansas State Board of Health, and the Division of Water Resources of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture.

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USGS1950

Ground-water data collected in the Missouri River basin units in Kansas during 1948

Ground-water studies in the Missouri River Basin were begun by the U.S. Geological Survey during the fall of 1945 as a part of the program for development of the resources of the basin by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and other Federal agencies. The studies of the ground-water resources in the part of Kansas that lies within the basin have been coordinated with the cooperative program of ground-water studies already being carried on in Kansas by the Federal Geological Survey and the Kansas State Geological Survey with the cooperation of the Division of Sanitation of the Kansas State Board of health and the Division of Water Resources of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture. Areas in which ground-water data have been collected under the Missouri Basin program include the Almena Unit in Norton and Phillips Counties; the Bostwick Unit in Jewell, Republic, and Cloud Counties; the Cedar Bluff Unit in Ellis and Trego Counties; the Glen Elder Unit in Mitchell County; the Kanopolis Unit in McPherson and Saline Counties; the Kirwin Unit in Phillips, Smith, and Osborne Counties; the St. Francis Unit in Cheyenne County; the Webster Unit in Osborne County; and the Wilson Unit in Lincoln County. Most of the ground-water data presented in this report were collected during 1948. Most of the data collected in these areas prior to the end of 1947 were presented in a report mimeographed in September 1948. This report and the previous report are the first two of a series of annual reports on ground-water studies in the Missouri Basin units in Kansas. These reports are a means of more promptly releasing for administrative use the data collected each year. Data for a given area that are included in the annual reports will be assembled later in a report on the geology and hydrology of that area.

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USGS1950

Ground-water data collected in the Missouri River basin units in Kansas during 1949

Ground-water studies in the Missouri River Basin were begun by the United States Geological Survey during the fall of 1945 as a part of the program for development of the resources of the basin by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and other Federal Agencies. The studies of the ground-water resources in the part of Kansas that lies within the Basin have been coordinated with the cooperative program of ground-water studies already being carried on in Kansas by the Federal Geological Survey and the State Geological Survey of Kansas with the cooperation of the Division of Sanitation of the Kansas State Board of Health and the Division of Water Resources of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture. Areas in which ground-water data have been collected under the Missouri Basin program include the Almena Unit in Norton and Phillips Counties; the Bostwick Unit in Jewell, Republic, and Cloud Counties; the Cedar Bluff Unit in Ellis, Rush, and Trego Counties; the Glen Elder Unit in Mitchell County; the Webster Unit in Osborne County; and the Wilson Unit in Lincoln County. Most of the ground-water data presented in this report were collected during 1949. Most of the data collected in these areas prior to the end of 1947 were presented in a report that was mimeographed in September 1948 and most of the data collected during 1948 were presented in a report that was mimeographed in November 1949. This report is the third of a series of annual reports on ground-water data collected in the Missouri Basin units in Kansas. These annual reports are a means of more promptly releasing for administrative use the data collected each year. Data that are included in the annual reports for a given area will be assembled later in a report on the geology and hydrology of that area. An index of the data collected and presented in the 1947, 1948, and 1949 reports is given in table 1.

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USGS1940

Geology and ground-water resources of the "Equus beds" area in south central Kansas

This paper summarizes the results of a detailed investigation by the U. S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Kansas State Geological Survey, Kansas State Board of Health, and the City of Wichita. The geology of the area has been remapped, and several new formations have been established, including the Emma Creek formation of middle and upper Pliocene age, and a thick loess deposit. The hydrologic studies involved extensive test drilling and resulted in the development of a new groundwater supply for the City of Wichita.

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USGS1940

Ground-water resources of Kansas

Introduction: Water is a necessity of life. Accordingly, every person is deeply interested in the subject of water supply. He knows that he must have water to drink. He depends indirectly on water for all his food and clothing. He may want water in which to wash. Civilized man has learned also that water serves admirably for a large and ever enlarging list of uses that depend on its easy convertibility from a liquid to a solid or gaseous state and its adaptability as a chemical solvent, a medium for transfer of matter or energy, and a regulator of temperature. The average consumption of water in towns and cities of the United States amounts to about 100 gallons per person per day. Because of long familiarity with never-failing supplies of water provided by nature, or equally, because of unthinking dependence on others, many individuals are probably unaware of their interest in water, but let water become difficult or impossible to obtain, or let the quality of water be greatly changed, and there is immediate concern. Many Kansas persons — without doubt too many — give little thought to the subject of water when rainfall is normal and when ponds and streams are full, but not too full. Kansas has a smaller natural water supply than many other regions, but we are used to these conditions, and it is strongly marked departures from what we regard as normal that cause anxiety. Periods of excessive heat and drought such as have recurred in Kansas, especially during the last half-dozen years, bring hardships to very many persons, particularly dwellers on the farm. Alarm is felt when field crops and pasture shrivel from lack of moisture and from heat, when there is insufficient water for the stock, when wells go dry, and when even some towns and cities must haul water in tank cars. Everyone is then water-conscious, as is true also under reverse conditions, when overabundance of rainfall produces disastrous floods. It is obvious, however, that the subject of water supply should not be given attention only in times of deficiency or overabundance. All citizens of Kansas should have enduring interest in quests of water control and conservation that will make for equable supply. No individual or government agency can increase or diminish the annual rainfall, nor safeguard wholly against floods. It is possible, on the other hand, largely to avoid the distress due to severe shortage of water in recent years. This statement calls attention to the subject of water in the ground, or as commonly known, ground water. I have been asked to discuss the underground water resources of Kansas. I am asked to give answers to such questions as: In what places and under what conditions may water that is suitable for domestic and stock use be obtained from wells? Why are some water wells in Kansas never-failing large producers of excellent waters, whereas other yield only small amounts of poor water and readily go dry? What improvements are possible in methods of finding and utilizing the ground-water resources that exist in Kansas? What provisions can be made to safeguard best against effects of prolonged drought? These questions call for a discussion of some general principles that apply to accumulation and movement of water beneath the surface of in Kansas, and especially to the various geologic conditions that are fundamental factors in controlling variation in water supply from the below ground. It will be desirable also to consider the characteristics of various districts in Kansas that may be differentiated as natural ground-water provinces, pointing out the distinguishing features of these districts. The basis for these distinctions is a difference in water-supply conditions that depends mainly on variation in underground rock structure. Importance of ground-water resources. — The importance of Kansas' ground-water resources may be emphasized from various viewpoints and in different ways. More than three-fourths of the public water supplies of Kansas are obtained from wells. In 1939, only 60 out of 375 municipal water supplies in Kansas, which is 16 percent, utilized surface waters. If the water wells of the cities and those located on all privately owned land in the state were suddenly destroyed, making it necessary to go to streams, springs, lakes (which are almost all artificial), and ponds for water supply domestic, stock, and industrial use, there would be almost incalculable difficulty and expense. If one could not go to springs, or dig new wells, or use any surface water derived from underground flow, much of Kansas would become uninhabitable. These suggested conditions seem absurd, but they emphasize our dependence on ground-water resources. Fromm a quantitative standpoint, ground-water supplies existent in Kansas far outweigh surface waters that are present in the state at any one time. No exact figures for such comparison can be given, but, taking 384 square miles as the total surface water area of the state and estimating an average water depth of five feet, the computed volume of surface waters is found to be 1/100th of that of the conservatively estimated ground-water storage in Kansas. The latter takes account only of potable fresh water and is based on an assumed mean thickness of ten feet of reservoir having an effective porosity of twenty percent. It is to be remembered, however, that most of the surface water is run-off, which soon leaves the state, stream valleys being replenished from rainfall and flow from ground-water reservoirs. Most of the ground-water supplies, on the other hand, have existed for many years with almost no appreciable movement--in fact, it is reasonably certain that some well water drawn from beneath the surface of Kansas in 1940 represents rainfall in this region at time before the first white man entered Kansas, even before the visit of Coronado in the 16th century. Most ground water is to be regarded as water in storage rather than water in transit.

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USGS1926

Surface waters of Kansas, 1919-1924

The Kansas legislature in 1917 passed the Water Commission act, entitled, "An act relating to floods, drainage, water power, domestic water supply, navigation, irrigation, and providing for state control of all matters relating thereto, and providing for a Water Commission in the state of Kansas." Under this act the Water Commission was created and authorized to investigate the problems relating to floods, drainage, water power, domestic water supply, navigation and irrigation. It was, however, limited in this work on account of the appropriation provided, and it has therefore confined its investigations to stream-gaging work in the principal watersheds of Kansas. This work has been carried out under a cooperative agreement entered into with the United States Geological Survey. Previous to the formation of the Kansas Water Commission the State Board of Irrigation Survey, Experiment and Demonstration cooperated with the United States Geological Survey in the stream-gaging investigations in Kansas from 1895 to 1906. Work by the United States Geological Survey was begun in 1895 by Arthur P. Davis, under the direction of F. H. Newell, chief hydrographer. E. C. Murphy, professor of engineering in the Kansas State University at Lawrence, Kan., was in charge of the work in eastern Kansas, and W. G. Russell was in charge of the work in western Kansas. Prof. O. P. Hood, of the Kansas State Agricultural College, Manhattan, Kan., cooperated in maintaining the gaging station on the Blue river near Manhattan. During 1904, 1905 and part of 1906, M. C. Hinderlider was district hydrographer. From 1906 to 1916 no stream-gaging investigations were made in Kansas, and the only records available for this period are those of river stages taken by the United States Weather Bureau, at a few selected stations, for use by the river forcast service. The floods of 1908, 1909 and 1915 occurred during this period.

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USGS1921

Surface waters of Kansas, 1895-1919

Kansas is preeminently an agricultural state. According to the United States census of 1910, the area in farms was 43,384,799 acres, or 67,789 square miles, 83 per cent of the total area of the state —82,158 square miles. The products of these farms rank high in value among those of farms in other states, as shown by comparative statistics compiled by the United States Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Crop Estimates. For the period from 1913 to 1917 Kansas ranked ninth of the states of the United States in the value of all crops raised, exclusive of livestock; in 1919 Kansas ranked fifth. In livestock Kansas ranked sixth in 1918 and eighth in 1919. Climatic conditions have largely dominated agricultural development in Kansas. Early ventures in dry farming in western Kansas, encouraged by a succession of rainy seasons, resulted in disheartening disasters, due to the dry seasons that followed. Throughout that region the farmers have gradually utilized the surface and underground waters for irrigation to provide against this deficiency of rainfall. The floods that have occurred in the valleys of eastern" Kansas at frequent intervals during the past twenty years have been the subject of much investigation by state and Federal organizations. In 1844 and 1903 exceptionally disastrous floods occurred in the Kansas (Kaw) valley. Floods that were of lesser magnitude, but that caused widespread loss and injury to property, have occurred in other years, the most recent being the flood of 1915. Much of the cultivated land in these valleys lies along fertile river bottoms that are annually liable to overflow, and the control of the flood waters on these rivers and their tributaries is therefore one of the problems arising from unfavorable climate that demand early solution. In view of the increasing demand for water for domestic service and fire protection, the need of determining whether the supply is adequate for rapidly growing centers of population throughout the state has recently been impressed very strongly upon a great many communities. The dependability of available sources of water supply during seasons of drought is fully as important as investigations of flood problems. Practical solutions of the many local and statewide water problems, such as flood protection, flood prevention, domestic water supply, drainage, irrigation, and water power, depend largely on a thorough knowledge of certain physical data relating to water resources. Hydrologic conditions differ widely in the different drainage basins, so that long-time investigations of stream-flow phenomena in each basin, as well as long-time investigations of meteorologic conditions over the state, are essential in the formulation of comprehensive plans to meet specific water problems. The collection of long-time records of stream-flow in Kansas which is published in this volume has been prepared for the use of those who are concerned with the different phases of the utilization of water in the state.

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