Groundwater
The majority of the Rattlesnake Creek subbasin overlies the Great Bend Prairie portion of the High Plains aquifer. However, the headwaters begin in the Ogallala portion of the High Plains aquifer. Approximately 80 percent of the southwest portion of the Rattlesnake Creek subbasin is underlain by unconfined Dakota Aquifer. The Dakota Aquifer is considered hydraulically connected to the overlying High Plains aquifer.
The Kansas Geological Survey (KGS), GMD #5 and the Subbasin Water Resource Management Program (SWRMP) measure water levels in the subbasin. GMD #5, KGS in cooperation with KDA-DWR and SWRMP combine efforts to measure 161 wells annually. SWRMP collects additional water level measurements tri-annually in the winter, spring and fall.
Only winter (December, January and February) measurements were used for the monitoring well water level charts, since those measurements are considered to be the least influenced by irrigation well pumping. The Priority Area Charts show groundwater levels in all the monitoring wells and the five-year rolling averages. The y-axis is labeled as DBLS feet (ft). DBLS stands for depth below land surface.
