Middle Arkansas River Subbasin
Issues:
- Groundwater depletion due to pumping in the Great Bend Prairie - High Plains aquifer and alluvial aquifer.
- Streamflow depletion.
Goals:
- Reach sustainable yield by 2015 for ground and surface water. The management plan will stay within state water law.
- Make certain that the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks has enough water for Cheyenne Bottoms.
Current Activities:
- Measure groundwater levels and streamflow.
- Increase enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.
Groundwater Flow Model:
- Kansas Geological Survey created the groundwater model. The model had input from a Technical Advisory Committee. The Technical Advisory Committee included Big Bend Groundwater Management District No. 5, Kansas Water Office, Water Protection Association of Central Kansas and Kansas Department of Agriculture-Division of Water Resources. Follow the link for the Final Middle Arkansas River Model Report.
- For more information on the model, visit the Numerical Model of the Middle Arkansas River Subbasin page under Hydrologic Modeling
The Middle Arkansas Subbasin is about 781,455 acres. The subbasin is in Ford, Edwards, Barton, Kiowa, Pawnee, Rice, Rush and Stafford counties. Most of the subbasin is in GMD5.
The Middle Arkansas Subbasin is in the Great Bend Prairie region. The region has gently sloping hills. South central Kansas has less relief than north central Kansas. The subbasin has two aquifer systems including High Plains -- Great Bend Prairie and alluvial aquifers.
Sediments deposited in deep valleys during the Pleistocene Epoch made the Great Bend Prairie aquifer. These deposits provide a source of good-quality water for the subbasin. The Great Bend Prairie aquifer is an unconfined aquifer or semiconfined aquifer system.
The Arkansas valley alluvium is stream-laid deposits. The upper 2-20 feet consist of finer sediments. The deeper deposits are more coarse sediments. Dune sand covers the area south of the river in Pawnee and Edwards counties. This sand is above the water table so it does not yield any water to wells.
Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks owns a surface water right on the Middle Arkansas River for Cheyenne Bottoms. The Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area is 19,857 acres. It is part of a 41,000 acre land sink north of Great Bend. Cheyenne Bottoms is important to wildlife, mainly migratory birds.
In 1998, stakeholders created a working group for the subbasin. The group focused on water concerns. Over time, the working group learned the surface and groundwater conditions. Members include Groundwater Management District No. 5, municipalities, Water Protection Association of Central Kansas, county conservation districts, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Kansas Department of Agriculture – Division of Water Resources, Kansas Livestock Association and other interested parties.
The chief engineer approved the Middle Arkansas Working Group's Middle Arkansas Management Strategies in January 2004. The strategies suggest water users save at least 10 percent of average water use from 1988 to 2000. It also recommends that water users submit a voluntary conservation plan to the Kansas Department of Agriculture – Division of Water Resources showing participation.
The working group created the subbasin newsletter in July 2004. It is used to teach and keep in touch with the public on the water issues in the subbasin. The newsletter is e-mailed twice a year. Middle Arkansas Subbasin Newsletters are now available online.
