Kansas Geological Survey, Open-file Report 2018-1
KGS Open-file Report 2018-1
Dec. 2017
The field-measurement phase of the 2017 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, 2017. 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 97.5% of the 1,384 network wells in 2017. The KGS measured 559 wells and the three DWR offices (Garden City, Stafford, and Stockton) measured 825 wells. Data acquisition by KGS staff was completed in January.
A spatial analysis of the 2016 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 19 wells designated to replace existing wells or fill gaps in the network, 15 were measured and were incorporated into the network for 2018. They will be measured in all future measurement campaigns unless the wells become unreliable or are plugged. Yearly geostatistical studies will define under-sampled 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 2017 Acquisition | KGS | DWR | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of network wells in 2017 | 559 | 825 | 1,384 |
| Number of counties | 16 | 32 | 48 |
| 2017 provisional (new) wells | 9 | 10 | 19 |
| # provisional wells measured | 6 | 9 | 15 |
| # wells successfully measured | 545 | 805 | 1,350 |
| # wells MIA* | 14 | 22 | 36 |
| # wells measured for quality assurance (QA) | 56 | -- | 56 |
| # wells targeted for removal | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| *Wells with zero depth reading, where measurement failed, or that were marked for removal. | |||
Joe Anderson, Brett Bennett, Rex Buchanan, Rick Miller, Ed Reboulet, Jeremy Scobee, Brett Wedel, and Brownie Wilson
| Type of Well | KGS | DWR | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irrigation | 466 | 606 | 1,072 |
| Unused (monitor or abandoned) | 66 | 154 | 220 |
| Stock | 11 | 48 | 59 |
| Household | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| Depth to Water | |||
| Less than 100 ft | 116 | 517 | 633 |
| 100 to 200 ft | 267 | 194 | 461 |
| 200 to 300 ft | 144 | 55 | 199 |
| More than 300 ft | 18 | 39 | 57 |
| Drill Depth of Well | |||
| Unknown | 63 | 119 | 182 |
| Less than 100 ft | 47 | 260 | 307 |
| 100 to 200 ft | 115 | 230 | 345 |
| 200 to 300 ft | 169 | 115 | 284 |
| 300 to 400 ft | 84 | 35 | 119 |
| More than 400 ft | 81 | 66 | 147 |
| Measurement Characteristics | |||
| Oil on the water | 58 (10.2%) | 51 (6.2%) | 109 (7.8%) |
| Difficult measurement (restrictions, snags, catches) |
36 (6.3%) | 33 (4.0%) | 69 (5.0%) |
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 | 484 | 736 | 1,220 |
| Twice | 56 | 43 | 99 |
| Three times | 5 | 26 | 31 |
| Four times | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total Measurements | |||
| Primary and Quality Assurance (QA) | 676 | 916 | 1,592 |
| Measurements Judged | |||
| Excellent | 438 | 534 | 972 |
| Good | 77 | 220 | 297 |
| Fair | 35 | 56 | 91 |
30S 23W 18D 01 Clark 11S 35W 12ABC 01 Logan 32S 30W 25BBB 01 Meade 02S 35W 13BAA 01 Rawlins 04S 32W 09CCC 01 Rawlins 04S 33W 19BCB 01 Rawlins 31S 33W 02DAB 01 Seward 32S 31W 01DBB 01 Seward 10S 41W 33ABB 01 Sherman
25S 17W 26B 01 Edwards 26S 34W 03BBD 01 Finney 25S 28W 14CBC 01 Gray 28S 32W 08ADD 01 Haskell 27S 09W 18AAC 01 Kingman 29S 06W 24CDD 01 Kingman 20S 02W 34CBD 01 McPherson 29S 14W 31ACA 01 Pratt 24S 08W 01BBB 01 Reno 19S 32W 16BCD 01 Scott
09S 39W 02BAB 01 Sherman Well reworked--No MP access in 2017. 11S 33W 14DCC 01 Logan Lots of restrictions with a big one at 125 ft. 23S 42W 19CBB 01 Hamilton 31S 32W 31BBB 01 Seward Oily! 32S 36W 21AAC 01 Stevens Well abandoned. Pump gone, hole covered w/cap. 32S 42W 32CAA 01 Morton Concrete disk over well.
No wells were tagged for removal by DWR in 2017.
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 2017 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 2017 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 "2017 Reports."
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Kansas Geological Survey, Geophysics
Placed online Feb. 16, 2018
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