Water Use in Kansas
Water use reporting is essential to our management of this vital resource. All nondomestic Kansas water users must submit a complete and accurate water use report every year. The annual report must be delivered to the Division of Water Resources Topeka office by March 1. This process ensures that the people of Kansas have access to complete information about how water is used in Kansas. The information we collect is also used by many agencies – Kansas Water Office, United States Geological Survey, Kansas Geological Survey, groundwater management districts, Kansas Department of Revenue, county appraisers.
Each year, users divert approximately 4 million acre-feet of water, which is more than 1.6 trillion gallons. About 90 percent is pumped from groundwater sources such as the Ogallala Aquifer. Based on a state population of 2.5 million, this is equivalent to 650,000 gallons per person per year, 1,785 gallons per day. It is in the best interest of all residents to become more water conscious and not take this vital resource for granted. Current trends indicate that the period of raw development of water resources is over, resulting in a period of management of the resources already in use.
In Kansas, approximately 80-85 percent of all water diverted out of its natural course is used to grow agricultural crops. This water use is affected by weather conditions which are clearly indicated by the total water diverted for irrigation purposes. Municipal use is second in usage, accounting for about 10 percent of total water diverted for the state. The remaining 10 percent of all water use is diverted by uses such as industrial, recreation, stockwatering, hydraulic dredging and other uses.
Even with such large quantities of water being diverted annually, the Kansas water use program has detailed information regarding the use of the resource. This can be accomplished only by a framework of state laws that encourage collection of such information and the cooperation of the Kansas water users to provide that information.
Water Use Reporting is the Law
Currently, Kansas law (K.S.A. 82a-732 of the Kansas Water Appropriation Act) requires that all water right holders annually report water use information to the Chief Engineer of the Division of Water Resources (DWR). Reports are due back in the office of the Chief Engineer, by March 1. K.A.R. 5-14-11 further sets forth civil penalties for failure to file a complete and accurate report, in a timely manner.
Due to the volume of information DWR receives, it is imperative that a standard form be used. Also, a statute requires that the report be made on a form prescribed by the Chief Engineer. Because of the importance of filing the reports (under penalty of law) it is highly recommended that the reports be returned to the Division by CERTIFIED MAIL. This should help to ensure that the reports are filed as intended. If a flow meter is required by law, then meter readings and the metered quantity must be reported (See K.A.R. 5-3-5e).
Each year approximately 14,650 water use reports are mailed to water right holders in Kansas. Of these, approximately 93 percent are returned to the Chief Engineer before the deadline. This is a great improvement when compared to the 60 percent compliance rate before the state law required annual reporting. Compliance with the reporting requirement has drastically improved the state water use database yielding valuable information. This has resulted in Kansas having a superior water use database when compared to other states.
Publications about Kansas Water Use
Contact:
If you have any questions, please contact Rich Eubank with the Water Use Unit, at (785) 296-1054.