Kansas Geological Survey, Open-file Report 2018-18
KGS Open-file Report 2018-18
Dec. 2018
The field-measurement phase of the 2018 annual cooperative water-level measurement program was successfully completed by the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) and the Division of Water Resources (DWR), Kansas Department of Agriculture, prior to March 1, 2018. The annual program is designed to regionally sample the High Plains aquifer in Kansas so trends can be established and evaluated for effective incorporation into water-resource management strategies. Water levels were recorded in 97.3% of the 1,399 network wells in 2018. The KGS measured 554 wells and the three DWR offices (Garden City, Stafford, and Stockton) measured 807 wells. Data acquisition by KGS staff was completed in January.
A spatial analysis of the 2017 annual network well distribution identified nine locations that required additional water-level data to permit continuous and uniform sampling of the High Plains aquifer. Researchers then identified wells in these locations that have sufficient construction and historical information and landowner cooperation to attempt a water-level measurement. Of the 28 wells designated to replace existing wells or fill gaps in the network, 20 were measured and were incorporated into the network for 2019. They will be measured in all future measurement campaigns unless the wells become unreliable or are plugged. Yearly geostatistical studies will define undersampled areas and assist in selecting optimum locations for replacement wells to eliminate holes in the hexagonal network used to assure uniform sampling of the aquifer.
| January 2018 Acquisition | KGS | DWR | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of network wells in 2018 | 564 | 835 | 1,399 |
| Number of counties | 16 | 32 | 48 |
| 2018 provisional (new) wells | 10 | 18 | 28 |
| # provisional wells measured | 10 | 10 | 20 |
| # wells successfully measured | 554 | 807 | 1,361 |
| # wells MIA* | 11 | 29 | 40 |
| # wells measured for quality assurance (QA) | 56 | -- | 56 |
| # wells targeted for removal | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| *Wells with zero depth reading, where measurement failed, or that were marked for removal. | |||
Joe Anderson, Brett Bennett, Andrea Brookfield, Rex Buchanan, Rick Miller, Jeremy Scobee, Brett Wedel, and Brownie Wilson
| Type of Well | KGS | DWR | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irrigation | 469 | 619 | 1,088 |
| Unused (monitor or abandoned) | 68 | 152 | 220 |
| Stock | 11 | 47 | 58 |
| Household | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| Depth to Water | |||
| Less than 100 ft | 119 | 510 | 629 |
| 100 to 200 ft | 271 | 197 | 468 |
| 200 to 300 ft | 145 | 57 | 202 |
| More than 300 ft | 18 | 43 | 61 |
| Drill Depth of Well | |||
| Unknown | 63 | 120 | 183 |
| Less than 100 ft | 47 | 257 | 304 |
| 100 to 200 ft | 116 | 232 | 348 |
| 200 to 300 ft | 171 | 119 | 290 |
| 300 to 400 ft | 85 | 38 | 123 |
| More than 400 ft | 82 | 69 | 151 |
| Measurement Characteristics | |||
| Oil on the water | 60 (10.6%) | 41 (4.9%) | 101 (7.2%) |
| Difficult measurement (restrictions, snags, catches) |
35 (6.2%) | 22 (2.6%) | 57 (4.1%) |
In-field confidence in a particular measurement was qualitatively determined through inspection of chalk cut while general accuracy was quantitatively appraised using historical and local trends.
| Wells Measured Only | KGS | DWR | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Once | 453 | 769 | 1,222 |
| Twice | 90 | 33 | 123 |
| Three times | 9 | 5 | 14 |
| Four times | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Total Measurements | |||
| Primary and Quality Assurance (QA) | 726 | 878 | 1,604 |
| Measurements Judged | |||
| Excellent | 495 | 583 | 1,078 |
| Good | 44 | 201 | 245 |
| Fair | 15 | 29 | 44 |
04S 40W 26DAB 01 Cheyenne 24S 42W 08CBD 01 Hamilton 11S 33W 28ADA 01 Logan 32S 30W 35CBA 01 Meade 34S 43W 07BDD 01 Morton 02S 36W 31BDA 01 Rawlins 03S 32W 27BCC 01 Rawlins 32S 33W 08A 01 Seward 08S 42W 06DAC 01 Sherman 16S 37W 24BCB 01 Wichita
22S 34W 29DBB 01 Finney 22S 33W 22ACC 01 Finney 23S 32W 05CAA 01 Finney 22S 31W 13DDB 01 Finney 23S 33W 10CCDD 01 Finney 23S 32W 03CDD 01 Finney 23S 33W 19DCC 01 Finney 22S 34W 23BBBB 01 Finney 29S 38W 31DCD 01 Grant 29S 31W 19CCC 01 Haskell 30S 32W 31BBC 01 Haskell 23S 35W 28DDD 01 Kearny 25S 36W 19CDB 01 Kearny 28S 20W 01DCB 01 Kiowa 28S 11W 34D 01 Pratt 29S 12W 12BAD 01 Pratt 28S 14W 32C 01 Pratt 21S 09W 18AAB 01 Rice
34S 39W 15CAD 01 Morton Submersible pump installed limiting access.
01S 16W 31CBB 01 Phillips Dry well; new well measured. 24S 08W 18BAC 01 Reno Well no longer exists. 24S 28W 31DD 01 Gray Well no longer exists. 27S 30W 08BBA 01 Gray Well no longer exists. 30S 38W 15DBC 01 Grant Well is plugged.
The two appendices to this report are summary tables.
Appendix A—Contains a summary of information for all wells measured by the KGS. This appendix includes county, well legal description (ID), and 2018 depth of water below ground surface (BGS). Quality Assurance measurements (QA) and Provisional wells (PROV) are also identified.
Appendix B—Contains a summary of information for all wells measured by the DWR. This appendix includes county, well legal description (ID), and 2018 depth of water below ground surface (BGS). Provisional wells (PROV) are also identified.
Both the current year's measurements and historical water-level data are archived and maintained at the KGS in a centralized database (WIZARD) that can be accessed at the KGS website at www.kgs.ku.edu/Magellan/WaterLevels/index.html. The township-range-section identifier and the water level for each well measured are also provided in tabular form as part of this report, which can be found online at www.kgs.ku.edu/Hydro/Levels/index.html under the heading "2018 Reports."
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Kansas Geological Survey, Geophysics
Placed online Dec. 20, 2018
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