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Ground Water, continued
Utilization
Domestic and Stock Supplies
Nearly all domestic and stock supplies in the county are obtained from wells. The domestic use of water generally includes drinking, cooking, laundering, and in some places the disposal of sewage for homes not served by municipal water systems. Water supplies for those schools not served by public-supply systems are classed as domestic. Ground-water supplies in several areas of Sumner County are inadequate, and water for domestic and stock use must be hauled. In general, the ground water is suitable for domestic and stock use, but locally it contains too much chloride or sulfate. It is estimated that about 900 acre-feet of water was pumped for rural domestic use in Sumner County in 1955 and about 950 acre-feet for stock supplies.
Public Supplies
Six municipalities in Sumner County obtain their entire water supply from wells in the county, and Wellington obtains part of its supply from wells and part from surface water. Udall, in Cowley County, also obtains its water supply from wells in Sumner County; and Oxford, in Sumner County, obtains its supply from wells in Cowley County. El Dorado and Augusta, in Butler County, obtained water from wells in Sumner County from 1954 to 1957 as a drought-relief measure. It is estimated that about 3,550 acre-feet of ground water was pumped from Sumner County for municipal use in 1955.
Argonia
The city of Argonia in the Chikaskia River valley obtains its water from four drilled wells at the north edge of town. All the wells extend through the terrace deposits into the underlying Ninnescah Shale and obtain water from both units. Two of these wells are cased with 10-inch steel casing, and two with 12-inch steel casing. All are equipped with turbine pumps driven by electric motors. Three of the wells have a reported depth of 65 feet and a reported static water level of about 21.5 feet below the land surface. One well (32-4W-9ccc4) is 75 feet deep and has a static water level of about 29.6 feet. A chemical analysis of a sample of the water is included in Table 6.
The average water consumption of Argonia is about 100,000 gallons per day. Water is pumped from the wells directly into the mains, the excess going into a 50,000-gallon elevated steel storage tank.
Augusta:
From September 1954 to May 1957 the city of Augusta obtained its water supply from wells in the Arkansas River valley near Mulvane. The wells, pumping plant, and pipeline are owned by a group of users known as the El Dorado-Augusta Water Association; a more detailed discussion of these facilities is given in the section on industrial supplies. Augusta has an average daily water consumption of about 350,000 gallons.
Belle Plaine
The city of Belle Plaine obtains its water supply from two drilled wells penetrating sand and gravel of the Wisconsinan terrace deposits east of town. Well 30-1E-36caa has a reported depth of 43 feet and a static water level of 11 feet; it is cased with 12-inch steel casing. The chemical analysis of a sample of water from this well is given in Table 6. Well 30-1E-36dbb is 38.6 feet deep, has a static water level of 15 feet, and is cased with 12-inch steel casing. Both wells are equipped with turbine pumps driven by electric motors. Water is pumped from the wells directly into the mains, the excess going into a 55,000-gallon elevated steel storage tank. The average water consumption of Belle Plaine is about 120,000 gpd. Two drilled wells about 54 feet deep and 55 feet apart in the northeastern part of town supplied the city with water until 1953, but are now abandoned.
Caldwell
The city of Caldwell obtains its water supply from twelve drilled wells penetrating the alluvium of Chikaskia River about 5 miles northeast of town. Seven wells in sec. 21 are each about 30 feet deep and each well normally yields about 50 gpm. These wells are connected to a common suction pipe and are pumped by a single centrifugal pump driven by an electric motor. Five wells in sec. 22 have an average depth of about 30 feet and a reported static water level of about 22 feet. These wells are cased with 10-inch steel casing and are equipped with turbine pumps driven by electric motors. Each of these wells also normally yields about 50 gpm.
The alluvium along Chikaskia River is very permeable, but only the lower 8 to 10 feet is saturated with water. The wells in the well field are closely spaced and the cone of influence of the well field extends under the channel of the river. When the river is flowing, water infiltrates from the river into the wells, but when the river is dry the yield of the wells is greatly reduced. The Western Light & Power Co., which owns the Caldwell water system, started plans in 1956 to construct a low dam on Chikaskia River at the well field in order to impound a few feet of water in the river channel and thus increase the saturated thickness of alluvium in that portion of the valley.
The average water consumption of Caldwell is about 300,000 gallons per day. Water is pumped from the wells directly into a 200,000-gallon storage reservoir. The chemical analysis of a composite sample of water from the Caldwell system is given in Table 6 (34-2W-21).
Conway Springs
The city of Conway Springs obtains its water supply from two drilled wells about a mile southwest of town, and from seven wells in the southwest corner of town. All the wells penetrate sand and gravel deposits of Nebraskan age. The seven wells in town are each about 40 feet deep; five of them are cased with 12-inch concrete casing and two have 16-inch casing. These wells yield about 21 gpm each. A chemical analysis of a composite sample from the seven wells in town (30-3W-33) is given in Table 6. Well 31-3W-5acd1 is about 43 feet deep, is cased with 10-inch steel casing, and has a static water level of 21.7 feet. The chemical analysis of a sample of water from this well also is given in Table 6. Well 31-3W-5acd2 is about 37 feet deep, is cased with 10-inch steel casing, and has a static water level of 12.3 feet. The wells are equipped with turbine pumps driven by electric motors.
The average daily water consumption of Conway Springs is about 90,000 gallons. Water is pumped from the wells directly into the mains, the excess going into a 70,000-gallon elevated steel storage tank.
El Dorado
From September 1954 to May 1957, El Dorado obtained its water supply from wells in the Arkansas River valley near Mulvane owned by the El Dorado-Augusta Water Association. The average daily water use is about 750,000 gallons.
Mulvane
The city of Mulvane obtains its water supply from four drilled wells penetrating Wisconsinan terrace deposits along Arkansas River. Well 30-2E-6aca is about 27 feet deep and is cased with 8-inch steel casing. This well has a reported static water level of 18 feet and yields about 350 gpm. Well 30-2E-6acd is about 32 feet deep and is cased with 8-inch steel casing. It also has a reported static water level of 18 feet and yields about 400 gpm. Well 30-2E-6cab is 44 feet deep and is cased with 12-inch steel casing. The yield of this well is about 600 gpm. Well 30-2E-6cac is about 33 feet deep and is also cased with 12-inch steel casing. It has a static water level of about 12 feet and is reported to yield about 1,400 gpm. All four wells are equipped with turbine pumps driven by electric motors. Water is pumped from the wells directly into a 65,000-gallon elevated steel storage tank. The chemical analysis of a composite sample of water from the Mulvane system (80-2E-6) is given in Table 6.
The maximum daily water consumption of Mulvane is about 300,000 gallons.
Oxford
The city of Oxford obtains its water supply from two wells about 2 miles east of town, in Cowley County. The wells are about 40 feet deep and obtain water from terrace deposits along Arkansas River. The maximum daily water consumption of Oxford is about 115,000 gallons.
Oxford originally obtained its water supply from two wells about 1,000 feet east of the Arkansas River bridge in sec. 12. In 1937 this supply became so contaminated by brine from the Churchill oil field that it was abandoned in favor of the present supply.
South Haven
The city of South Haven obtains its water supply from a dug well of large diameter near the northeast corner of town and from a drilled well about a mile northeast of town.
Well 34-1W-26aaa is 60 feet deep and is cased with 10-inch steel casing. This well has a static water level of about 28 feet and is equipped with a turbine pump and electric motor. Well 34-1W-35bab3 is about 16 feet deep, 20 feet in diameter, and walled with brick. It has a static water level of about 10.5 feet. Both wells obtain water from sand and gravel deposits of Kansan or Illinoisan age. Water is pumped from the wells directly into a 55,000-gallon elevated steel storage tank.
The average water consumption of South Haven is about 84,000 gpd. A chemical analysis of a composite sample of water from the two wells is given in Table 6.
Udall
The city of Udall, in Cowley County, obtains its water supply from two drilled wells in the valley of Arkansas River in Sumner County. Well 31-2E-2bba is 29 feet deep and is cased with 10-inch steel casing. This well has a static water level of about 16 feet and yields about 140 gpm. Well 31-2E-2bbb is 31 feet deep and is cased with 10-inch steel casing. This well has a static water level of about 15 feet and yields about 130 gpm. Both wells are equipped with turbine pumps driven by electric motors.
The average daily water consumption of Udall is about 80,000 gallons. A chemical analysis of a composite sample of water from the two wells is given in Table 6.
Wellington
Wellington obtains part of its water supply from a reservoir formed by an earthen dam on East Branch Prairie Creek. This reservoir has a drainage area of about 18 square miles and an estimated capacity of 3,400 acre-feet. Work was begun in 1956 on a pipeline and pumping facilities to obtain water from Chikaskia River during the winter and store it in the Prairie Creek reservoir for use during the summer.
The city of Wellington also has 35 wells in the area southwest of Mayfield, which are used intermittently. On August 14, 1954, water was being pumped from 21 wells having a combined capacity of 1,568,000 gpd. Six additional wells having a combined capacity of 2,534,000 gpd were ready to be put into service at that time. Wells in the Wellington well field penetrate sand and gravel deposits of Kansan or Illinoisan age. Logs of test holes drilled in 1948 by Latta and Fent for the city of Wellington are included in a later section of this report.
Water from the wells is collected at a pumping station near the northwest corner of sec. 36, T. 32 S., R. 3 W., and is pumped into a 500,000-gallon elevated steel tank at Mayfield and then into Wellington. A chemical analysis of a sample of water from well 32-3W-25ccb is given in Table 6.
Industrial Supplies
Most of the water pumped in Sumner County for industrial use is used in areas outside the county. Industrial supplies obtained from municipal systems are classed as municipal supplies in this report. Several industrial wells having low yields or short periods of use are not discussed separately. These include oil-well supply wells, a well from which the water is bottled and sold for drinking, and a well that was drilled to obtain water to use in construction of the Kansas Turnpike. It is estimated that in 1955 about 3,500 acre-feet of water was pumped in Sumner County for industrial use.
El Dorado-Augusta Water Association
The El Dorado-Augusta Water Association was organized in 1954 to develop a water system to supply water for the city of Augusta, the city of El Dorado, El Dorado Refining Co. at El Dorado, Skelly Oil Co. at El Dorado, and Socony-Vacuum Oil Co. at Augusta. Four wells were drilled in the Arkansas River valley about a mile south of Mulvane. The wells are 40 to 50 feet deep, are cased with 14-inch steel casing, and are equipped with turbine pumps and electric motors. Water from the wells is discharged into a nearby abandoned gravel pit and then by diesel-powered pumps into the pipeline to the users.
Chemical analyses of samples of water from the wells are given in Table 6. In 1955 infiltration of sewage-laden water from Arkansas River caused a concentration of detergents in well 30-2E-7dca1 and necessitated replacement of this well by well 30-2E-7abc1, which is farther from the river and yields water of better quality. Water from these wells contains much chloride and enough iron to be troublesome for some uses.
During 1955 these wells were pumped nearly continuously at a combined rate of 3,600 gpm. Each of the three refineries uses approximately 1,000,000 gpd. Water not used by the refineries or by the cities of Augusta and El Dorado is impounded in surface reservoirs for emergency use. Additional wells were drilled in 1957 to increase the capacity of the system, and these new wells, which are farther from the river, also yield water of better quality than the original wells.
Before the El Dorado-Augusta Water Association system was put into operation, 25 strategically located observation wells were installed in and around the well field to determine how pumping would affect the water level. After the heavy rains of May 1957, the system was placed on a standby basis.
Other industrial supplies
Well 35-2E-2bdd1 supplies water for cooling compressors in a pipeline pumping station about 3 miles south of the well. This well is reported to have a yield of about 200 gpm, but it is pumped at a much lower rate. Water from this well is piped at the rate of about 30 gpm to the east side of sec. 2 where it is collected in a large pond and is used in the drilling of oil wells. Well 35-2E-2bdd2 is about 40 feet north of 35-2E-2bdd1 and is to be used in case of failure of the regular well. These wells penetrate sand and gravel deposits of Kansan or Illinoisan age. A partial chemical analysis of a sample of water from well 35-2E-2bdd1 is given in Table 7.
Irrigation Supplies
In areas of Sumner County where sufficient water is available, irrigation from wells is practiced extensively; 48 wells, gravel pits, and springs that were being used for irrigation were inventoried, most of them in the Arkansas River valley. Sprinklers are used generally, though some fields have been leveled and are being irrigated by gated pipe or by ditch and siphon. Alfalfa, corn, and forage are the crops most commonly irrigated in the county. The amount of ground water pumped for irrigation in 1955 is estimated as 1,900 acre-feet.
Chemical analyses of several samples of water from irrigation wells are given in Table 6, and the suitability of water for irrigation is discussed in another section of this report.
Possibilities of Developing Additional Supplies
Most of the land irrigated with ground water in Sumner County in 1956 lies in the Arkansas River valley, which is also the part of the county where more irrigation wells could be used to the greatest advantage. On the assumption that the alluvium and Wisconsinan terrace deposits in the valley have an average width of 3 miles, a length of 15 miles, an average thickness of saturated material of 25 feet, and a specific yield of 10 percent, there would be about 72,000 acre-feet of water in storage, which is more than 35 times the amount of water pumped for irrigation in 1955. If pumping were increased enough to lower the water table below river level, the ground-water reservoir would be recharged from the river instead of discharging into the river as it does now.
In other areas of Sumner County that are irrigated with well water, recharge conditions are not as favorable, nor it there as much water in storage. In these areas, pumping probably could not be increased without some depletion of the ground-water reservoir.
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Kansas Geological Survey, Geology
Placed on web January 2003; originally published August 1961.
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