DWR Currents

May 3, 2010


Annual Field Summaries Posted for Middle Ark and Pawnee Rivers, Rattlesnake Creek
Since 2007, DWR has prepared annual reports called “field summaries” providing collected data on precipitation, streamflows, groundwater levels and other information about Basin Management Team project areas.

Several 2009 field summaries have been completed and are now posted on DWR’s website at the following embedded links: Middle Arkansas River SubbasinThe associated link pertains to an Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format PDF, Rattlesnake Creek SubbasinThe associated link pertains to an Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format PDF and Pawnee River-Buckner Creek SubbasinThe associated link pertains to an Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format PDF.

Some of the main findings are:

  • Several 2009 field summaries have been completed and are now posted on DWR’s website.In 2008, total water use was well below the historical average in the Mid Ark subbasin, slightly above the historical average in the Rattlesnake subbasin and slightly below the historical average in the Pawnee-Buckner subbasin.
  • In 2009, precipitation was about average in the Mid Ark subbasin and several inches above average in both the Rattlesnake and Pawnee-Buckner subbasins.
  • In 2009, minimum desirable streamflows were met 100 percent of the time at the Ark River gage at Great Bend, 100 percent of the time at the Rattlesnake Creek gage at Zenith and 90 percent of the time at the Rattlesnake Creek gage at Macksville.
  • At the beginning of 2010, groundwater levels mostly showed little change compared with 2009 levels in the Mid Ark subbasin, and mostly increased in both the Rattlesnake and Pawnee-Buckner subbasins.

Oher 2009 field summaries are being reviewed and will be posted on the Basin Management Team web page when available for the following project areas:

  • Upper Arkansas River subbasin
  • Upper Solomon River subbasin
  • Lower Solomon River subbasin
  • Mainstem Solomon River subbasin
  • Ogallala-High Plains aquifer
  • Ozark Plateau aquifers

All of the Basin Management Team’s project areas are identified in the Kansas Water Plan as areas that have experienced significant streamflow depletion, groundwater decline, or other hydrologic concerns.  The field summaries are intended to inform water users, government officials and other decision makers about short-term and long-term trends in water resources within these areas.

Chief Supports Bostwick Grant Proposal
Chief Engineer David Barfield issued a letter last week supporting Kansas Bostwick Irrigation District’s application for a U.S. Department of Interior grant.  The district proposes to convert 9 miles of ditch to pipeline.  This would improve efficiency of water deliveries while having relatively minor impacts on return flows to critical reaches of the Republican River.

In the letter, Barfield noted, “As a result of extensive upstream groundwater development in Nebraska and other projects in the Republican Basin, the District has been forced to operate with a very limited water supply in many years.  The challenge of water scarcity was aggravated by several years of low precipitation and the under-delivery of surface water from Nebraska.  In 2003, after years of attempting to resolve the matter, Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado reached settlement in the U.S. Supreme Court litigation over enforcement of terms of the Republican River Compact.  The federal government participated in the settlement through the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior, and the Bureau of Reclamation, among other agencies.  Implementation of the Settlement should improve the reliability of the water supply for the District.  But it is also essential that the District implement systemic improvements, such as those in the proposed project, to provide a reasonable water supply to the existing district lands.”

The Kansas Bostwick Irrigation District was approved September 25, 1948, by then-Chief Engineer George Knapp.  The district, located in Jewell and Republic counties, was approved to develop 80,000 irrigable acres: 62,000 acres in the Courtland Unit and 18,000 acres in the potential Scandia Unit. Ultimately, approximately 45,000 acres were developed in the Courtland Unit.  Water for the district is diverted into the Courtland Canal at the Superior-Courtland Diversion Dam.  Several other canals branch off from the Courtland Canal for irrigation.  The Bureau of Reclamation’s website provides additional information about the Bostwick irrigation districts in Kansas and Nebraska.


Severe Storm Temporarily Elevated Flow in Ark River
On April 22, an intense storm spawned a tornado and heavy rain in western Kearny County.  Hydrograph of Arkansas River flows at Kendall, courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey (click to enlarge).Runoff from this storm caused a substantial but very short-lived spike in Arkansas River flow.

Although the Ark River flow at Syracuse remained steady at 110 cubic feet per second (cfs), the Ark River flow at Kendall increased quickly to 400 cfs due to storm-induced inflows to the river below Syracuse.

Right: Hydrograph of Arkansas River flows at Kendall, courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey (click to enlarge).

Within hours of spiking, the flow quickly decreased to pre-storm rates of around 120 cfs.


NRCS Celebrates 75 Years
Kansas State Conservationist Eric Banks recently announced that 2010 marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment, in 1935, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, previously known as the Soil Conservation Service.

Banks wrote, “This proud conservation legacy would not be possible without partnerships NRCS has established with organizations...that work closely with America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners to help them be good stewards of their natural resources.”

DWR and NRCS cooperate in several areas, most notably on flood control and water conservation:

  • NRCS provides funding and technical assistance to project sponsors for construction of dams under the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program, also known as PL-566 after the enabling legislation.  DWR is responsible for regulating dams in Kansas under the Obstructions in Streams Act.  NRCS and DWR coordinate to ensure the design, construction, operation and maintenance of these dams meet regulatory criteria to protect the lives, safety and property of Kansans.A team constructs a flood control structure, apparently before the advent of heavy equipment (photo courtesy of NRCS).

Right: A team constructs a flood control structure, apparently before the advent of heavy equipment (photo courtesy of NRCS).

  • NRCS administers the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which provides payments for landowners to implement conservation practices.  In Kansas, one of these conservation practices is converting irrigated cropland to dryland crops for a period of several years.  DWR works with NRCS and other agencies to identify critical areas for enrollment in this program, typically within areas of western Kansas that have experienced significant groundwater decline and/or streamflow depletion.

Of course, these are only a couple of examples of the programs NRCS administers.  More information about NRCS is available from the Kansas NRCS website as well as the national NRCS website.  Throughout the year, NRCS will post videos, photographs, quotes, facts and figures, and information about events.

DWR extends congratulations to our colleagues in NRCS for their 75 years of protecting natural resources in Kansas and across the country.


Upcoming Events

  • May 5-7: 3i Show (Great Bend)
  • May 6: Substantial Damage Estimation class (Lyons)
  • May 13: How to Read a Flood Map training (Bonner Springs)
  • May 13-14: Kansas Water Authority meeting (Wichita)
  • May 19: Big Blue River Compact Annual Meeting (Beatrice, Nebraska)
  • May 27: REAP Regional Water Conference (El Dorado)

For more information about these and other upcoming events, please check our online events listings.

Kansas Department of Agriculture