Publications

Fresh and saline water occur in Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous rocks in western Kansas. The maximum thickness of the Jurassic aquifer is about 50 feet. During 1981, water levels ranged from 255 to 1,160 feet below land surface; the static heads ranged from about 2,400 to 3,100 feet above sea level and the hydraulic gradient ranged from 16 feet per mile toward the northeast to 40...

The effects of three historical droughts on streamflows available for instream use on the lower Neosho River at Iola and Parsons, Kansas, were investigated. Natural streamflows that occurred during the three droughts were compared to the multiple-use and water-quality streamflows recommended by State agencies. A reservoir model was used to investigate the effects of John Redmond...

A study was made, in cooperation with the Kansas State Board of Agriculture, to determine the effects that additional ground-water development would have on streamflow and water levels on an area along the Arkansas River in Hamilton and Kearny Counties, southwestern Kansas. A computer model was used to simulate the changes in streamflow and water levels from 1980 through 1999. Six...

Since 1974 water levels in the alluvial aquifer of the North Fork Solomon River Valley in north-central Kansas have decreased due to increases in ground-water pumpage, decreases in availability of surface water for irrigation, and below-average precipitation. A finite-element model was developed in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to simulate changing conditions between...

The cities of Wichita, Newton, and several smaller towns pump large quantities of water from the 'Equus Beds' aquifer in south-central Kansas. The aquifer also supplies large quantities of water for irrigation at a steadily increasing rate. The Harvey County Planning and Zoning Commission entered into a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey to collect information on...

Water-level measurements were made, mostly during January 1984, in about 1,450 wells in western and south-central Kansas. The measurements were made in mid-winter when pumping was minimal and water levels had recovered, for the most part, from the effects of pumping during the previous irrigation season. Annual hydrologic data are provided for relating water-level changes from a ' base...

A study was conducted to evaluate water-resources problems related to abandoned lead and zinc mines in Cherokee County, Kansas, and adjacent areas in Missouri and Oklahoma. Past mining activities have caused changes in the hydrogeology of the area. Lead and zinc mining has caused discontinuities and perforations in the confining shale west of the Pennsylvanian-Mississippian geologic...

Overland runoff from urban areas can cause concentrations of some water-quality constituents in local receiving streams to increase. The U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment investigated the water-quality characteristics of streams draining Topeka, Kansas, and adjacent parts of the Shunganunga Creek basin from October 1979 through...

Water-resources data and the results of hydrologic investigations in Kansas are published or released by the U.S. Geological Survey, by cooperating State or Federal agencies, or by technical or scientific journals. This report lists more than 800 water-resources reports prepared by or in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey in Kansas for 1886 through 1983. The reports are listed...

Water resources data for the 1983 water year consist of records of stage, dis-charge, and water quality of streams; stage, contents, and water quality of lakes and reservoirs; and water levels and water quality in wells. This report contains discharge records for 141 gaging stations; stage and contents for 24 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 52 gaging stations; and water levels...

Development of water resources has been a major factor in the economy of Prairie Dog Creek Valley in north-central Kansas. Releases from Norton Reservoir to the Almena Irrigation District averaged 6,900 acre-feet per year during 1967-76. The number of irrigation wells increased from 4 to 147 during 1947-78. Ground water in the valley is derived mostly from the alluvial aquifer. The...

Relationships between flood volume and peak discharge in western Kansas were developed considering basin and climatic characteristics in order to evaluate the availability of surface water in the area. Multiple-regression analyses revealed a relationship between flood volume, peak discharge, channel slope , and storm duration for basins smaller than 1,503 square miles. The equation VOL=0...