Kansas Geological Survey to measure water wells in western, central Kansas

LAWRENCE -- Water specialists from the Kansas Geological Survey, based at the University of Kansas, will measure water levels in more than 500 water wells in south-central and western Kansas the week of Jan. 3, 2005.

The measurements will be made in cooperation with the Division of Water Resources of the Kansas Department of Agriculture, which measures an additional 700 wells. Together the Survey and the division measure wells in 47 counties in the south-central and western parts of the state.

The results are used by water managers and agencies to monitor and interpret general trends in groundwater levels in the state. Private landowners and businesses also rely on the information in making water-related decisions. Most of the measured wells are used for irrigation and tap into the High Plains aquifer, which includes the well-known Ogallala aquifer. The High Plains aquifer underlies much of western and central Kansas.

The wells historically have been measured in January, after the end of the irrigation season.

" To get the most useful water data, we need to sample the same wells at about the same time each year, using consistent, proven and defensible methods," said Rick Miller, chief of the Survey's exploration services section and one of the Survey staff measuring wells this year.

Weather permitting, Survey crews will begin measurements in northwestern and west-central Kansas on Jan. 4 and 5, then will move south, working in the area around Syracuse on Jan. 6, and the area around Hugoton on Jan. 7. They will complete measurements around Dodge City on Jan. 8, depending on weather and road conditions.

Last year's measurements showed that the average water level dropped about 0.6 feet in northwestern Kansas, 1.5 feet in southwestern Kansas and about 0.6 feet in west-central Kansas from January 2003 to January 2004. Those declines were generally less than the previous year, when dry weather led to heavy pumping and a greater-than-average drop in the water table.

Measurements of individual wells made in January 2004 (as well as historical measurement data) are available at the Survey's Web site (www.kgs.ku.edu/Magellan/WaterLevels/index.html).

Results of measurements made in January 2005 will be available at the same site in February 2005.

Miller said that Survey crews appreciate the cooperation shown by local landowners during previous measurement trips and look forward to the same cooperation during this and future measurements.

" The help and cooperation of local landowners, and the communities of western Kansas, are crucial to this program," said Miller. "These data are important in effective water management and would not be available without their cooperation."